Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts will convert a diehard sprout hater
We sprout lovers have an adage—if you don’t like Brussels Sprouts, you just haven’t had them cooked right. Maple Glazed Roasted Brussels Sprouts will convert the most ardent sprout hater. Well, maybe not the most ardent, but this simple dish is tasty. The one extra step that takes literal seconds (and a good pot holder) takes this dish from good to wow. And, if you’re feeling fancy, pomegranate arils add tartness and color (and, if you’re not, just add some dried cranberries).
Alien heads
I despised Brussels sprouts well into my twenties, because I’d only ever had them boiled. Blech. We didn’t have them at the table growing up, as my dad also hated them, so I’ve blocked out where I tasted boiled sprouts, but suffice it to say that I was not a fan. A college roommate used to cook them, calling them “alien heads” (an apt description), but she didn’t do much with them, as this was the height of the no-fat craze.
Roasted Brussels sprouts made a sprout lover of me
Roasted Brussels sprouts, though, changed my mind. Roasting Brussels sprouts brings mellows out the bitterness and brings out the sweetness. Mush is replaced with little crispies (sometimes they have a little extra salt on them), and a more complex flavor. The first time I had roasted Brussels sprouts, I realized what I’d been missing.
If we were roasting the Brussels sprouts whole, I would be recommending a brief parboil to make sure that the insides get properly seasoned, but as we’re cutting these in half, that’s a step we can skip. More edges to get crispy and glazed makes these extra good.
Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts—an easy dish that kicks it up a notch
I picked up the glazing trick for Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts from a recipe for roasted beets that I unfortunately can no longer locate, but whoever you are, thank you. Basically, instead of tossing in the maple syrup with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar at the beginning of cooking, you roast the Brussels sprouts for about fifteen minutes or until you can pierce them with a fork and things are starting to color.
Easy glazing trick and a little brightness and color
To glaze them, you simply pull the pan out of the oven, add a pat of butter and a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup, stir to coat, and then return them to the oven to continue to roast until they are to your liking, another fifteen minutes or so, depending on the size of your sprouts.
Sprinkle them with pomegranate arils or some dried cranberries for a little tartness and color, and maybe a little flaky sea salt if you’d like. You’ll have a perfect winter side. This recipe for Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts serves two, but I won’t tell if you eat the second serving from the pan.
A note: for the sake of decent looking photos, I roasted these for a little less time than I normally do. I don ‘t shy away from getting more color on them when I’m not taking pictures.
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Maple Glazed Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
- 320 grams Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved. If the sprouts are large, cut them into thirds or quarters. Very small ones can be left whole this is a little under ¾s of a pound. Don't worry too much about precision here
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil this is approximate. Just drizzle the sprouts with olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- kosher salt to taste
- 1 pat unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1½ tbsp pomegranate arils, to taste substitute dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Add the Brussels sprouts to the baking sheet, drizzle with the oil and balsamic vinegar. Toss to coat
- Roast for 15 minutes, or until you can pierce a sprout with a fork and the sprouts have a little color on them
- Remove the sprouts from the oven. Add the pat of butter and drizzle the maple syrup. Toss to combine. Put the pan back in the oven and continue to roast until they are to your liking, probably about another 15 minutes
- Garnish with the pomegranate arils and serve
