When my 14 year old nephew asked me for more sprouts a couple of Christmas dinners ago, I knew I had cracked it! Turning this much loathed blight into something rather tasty and delicious is again pretty simple, all you need is the right balance of flavour. Oh and don’t boil the life out of it until it goes grey and tastes like cabbage and underpants.
Green and vibrant with a slight crunch retained, I like the Brussel Sprout a little al dente, with their sweet nutty flavour. Combine this with the sweet earthy flavour of the sweet chestnut, and the salty twang of smoked pancetta and you have a great little side dish, that will keep them coming back for more – just make sure you make enough!
Ingredients
- 2 lb/ Brussels Sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
- 2 oz/ unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 200g diced pancetta or dry cured bacon
- 200g cooked peeled chestnuts (these can be bought raw, and roasted and peeled – but for convenience check our your supermarket for pre-roasted vacuum packed or jarred option)
- 5-6 fresh sage leaves
Method
- Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the sprouts for 4-6 minutes until al dente. Drain them and set aside
- Heat the butter with the oil in a frying pan and add the bacon. Fry gently for 2-3 minutes until starting to crisp. Crumble the chestnuts roughly and add them to the bacon with the sage leaves.
- Add the sprouts and heat through, season to taste before serving
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