Bacon-Fried Brussel Sprouts

If I were going to marry a green veggie, it’d be brussel sprouts, and this recipe is why.

A little history: I went out east this summer to visit my sister-by-heart, Laura, and her brand new baby, Ruth. (They are both still worth the trip- but this little treasure I found along the way, is a gift that keeps giving, mostly to my hips, but worth it.) For Laura’s birthday, we went to get pedicures. While we were there, being pampered*, the food channel was playing the entire time- and it was lunchtime. A Rachel Ray show came on- something about her travelling and eating food at eateries all over the states. She was at this little mom & pop place in the south and they were serving up something very similar to these—I drooled and went to taste-bud heaven. I have made these so many times now, I’ve lost track. I hope you’ll enjoy them, too.

P.S. the pictures were from a time I made it w/ substitutions- we didn’t have bacon so I used bacon pieces that we had for salads in the fridge (the whole packet) and about 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

*pampered isn’t really the right term. I think the attendant was angry with my feet. But this is a recipe post, so that’s all I’ll say.

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BACON-FRIED BRUSSEL SPROUTS


Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh brussel sprouts
5 slices of Maple Bacon (cut into small pieces)
1-2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. Maple syrup
½ c. Bleu Cheese/Gorgonzola

Instructions:

Wash, drain, and cut brussel sprouts into halves or quarters depending on size (should be about 1 in. thick (max.) for this recipe). Put cut sprouts into a bowl with about 1 in. of water in the bottom. Cover. Microwave for about 3-4 minutes until they are bright green, nearly cooked through.

While the sprouts steam, put bacon pieces into a hot skillet. Add the garlic and maple syrup. Cook until the bacon is nearly crispy. Add drained, nearly cooked sprouts into skillet with bacon. Cook until sprouts are nicely browned/caramelized. Turn heat off. Quickly mix in the blue cheese (it will melt a little).

Serve while hot.
Serves approximately 4.
Takes about 25 minutes from start to finish.

Diener5 Reviews:
Dad- ***** wow. these are good. is there any more?
Mom- *****...I do. (melty heart)
Dylan- **** yeah, I kinda do like them
Andrea- * not even the bacon gets consumed, maybe in time
Daphne- * agrees w/ Andrea