Brussels Sprouts Basics

 I didn't grow up in a household that ate Brussels Sprouts. I don't think I'd even eaten one until I was an adult and probably at someone else's Thanksgiving dinner. That's what I thought about the vegetable - it was something other people ate. Brussels Sprouts were the food all kids were supposed to hate according to kids books. 

Frankly, I felt a little intimidated by them. I would see them in the grocery store on those long stalks and while I thought they looked festive, I didn't have the faintest idea about how to handle them. How do you get them off the stalks? What do you do when you have them? 

Well, my older child took a fancy to Brussels Sprouts this past Thanksgiving and has eaten probably to bags of them a week this year. It is now April. That is a lot of Brussels Sprouts. 

There are lots of fancy ways to make Brussels Sprouts, but these are the basics. This is how I spend time every Sunday afternoon preparing the vegetables to go in her lunch.

• Preheat the over to 400F and put a rack near the top. I use the 3rd one down. 
• To prepare the Brussels Sprouts, cut off the root end, remove the outer leaves and put them in a large bowl. 

• Add some olive oil and toss to coat. Then add a good pinch of salt and pepper and toss again. I usually use kosher salt. 
• Prepare the sheet pan. There are lots of options here. I used a little extra olive oil on the pan today, but cooking spray or lining the pan with foils works just as well. 

• Pour the sprouts onto the baking sheet in a single layer and pop them in the oven. 
• Depending on the size, check them after about 7 minutes for small ones and 10 minutes for larger vegetables and give them a stir. Maybe every 3-5 minutes after that until they are as done as you want. My kiddo likes some of the leaves a little burnt and some folks prefer them a little less caramelized. 

Pro Tips

• Look for fresh Brussels Sprouts that are all similarly sized. It doesn't matter if they are large or small, but it helps if they're all about the same size. 
• If they are particularly large or differently sized, chop them in half. It's ok if some of the outer leaves fall off