Super Garlicky Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I visited Tom Colicchio’s restaurant Colicchio and Sons once during Restaurant Week in New York City and had some of the best brussels sprouts I’ve ever tasted.  Since then, I’ve tried to make my own delicious version.  Thankfully, my fiancé has never had Mr. Colicchio’s sprouts, so he thinks mine are the best.  Win.

If you’re not afraid of a little acrylamide, here’s how to make them:

Prep Time – 10 minutes

Cook Time – 35 minutes

Serves – 2 to 4

You’ll Need:

-          About 1 lb. brussels sprouts of fairly uniform size

-          About ¼ cup of olive oil

-          1 bulb fresh garlic

-          Sea salt

-          Fresh ground black pepper

-          Onion powder

-          Garlic powder (optional)

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F then wash the brussels sprouts.

Scrub a Dub Dub

Cut off tough stem stump (what the heck do you call that?) and half brussels sprouts.  Peel and cut the garlic cloves.  Depending on the size, and how much you like garlic, I tend to cut the cloves in half but you can leave them whole if you’d like.   If you’re wondering why the heck it’s so hard to peel garlic, like I once did, there’s a great tutorial here.

Place the brussels sprouts and garlic in a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Add about ¼ cup of olive oil (I usually do a tiny bit less).  Next you’ll add the desired seasoning.  While I don’t measure mine out, I tend to generously salt and add just a pinch of black pepper and onion powder.  Remember, you can always add more seasoning as they cook.

Stir everything to coat sprouts and garlic and spread on a metal baking pan.  This part is important because they don’t seem to cook up quite right in a glass pan.

I confess. I just wanted to show off my apron.

Cover with foil and roast for about 12 minutes.  This helps them steam and not dry out.  Remove cover, turn, and continue roasting for approximately 20 minutes more until they are both soft and browned to your desire.   I usually test them when there’s still about 10 or so minutes of cook time left and often add another drizzle of olive oil at this point.  This is where you can also add additional spices if desired.

Voila!

I could just eat a big bowl of these alone, but they pair well with many entrees.  Last night we had them with bleu cheese topped rib eye steak.  Yummy and very low-carb.

Bleu Cheese Rib Eye with Super Garlicky Brussels Sprouts

This little guy likes to help me cook and guard my bling