[hrothgar]

So, a bunch of folks have been asking me for “my” recipe for Brussel sprouts. So, here it is. (With an immediate caveat, it’s not my recipe, rather, I am riffing off a Thomas Keller recipe from Bouchon. However, I think that my version is better)

Note: Normally when I am making this, I am serving it along side duck confit. The primary reason for this is that’s what Keller serves it with it. However, equally important, the duck confit produces a bunch of co-products that can get worked into the this dish.

Ingredients:

1. 16 large Brussel sprouts
2. 12 cloves garlic confit
3. 3 tablespoons duck fat
4. ¼ cup duck jelly (substitute veggie stock or chicken stock)
5. ¼ cup shallots (finely chopped)
6. a bit of thyme
7. ½ cup fermented mustard

Directions:

1. Make fermented mustard yogurt. Mix ½ cup yogurt, 1 tablespoon finely ground yellow mustard seed, 1 tablespoon finely ground brown mustard seed, ¼ teaspoon salt. Leave this out someplace warm (80-85 degrees) for 8-12 hours
2. Place a large cast iron pan in the oven and pree heat to 400 degrees
3. Slice Brussel sprouts in half and remove outer leaves
4. Remove pan from oven, throw in duck fat, and then add Brussel sprouts face side down
5. Cook sprouts for 15 minutes then flip. Cook for five minutes, flip. Cook for five minutes, flip. Cook for five minutes.
6. In the mean time, finely chop your garlic confit and shallots and melt your duck jelly
7. Remove your pan from the oven, remove sprouts from the pan.
8. Sweat your shallots and the thyme. Add your duck jelly, and then add your yogurt. Stir well.
9. Mix the sprouts back in, cook for another couple minutes, and then serve.

[FelicityR]

Brussel Sprouts are a very undervalued vegetable and they are so good for you! I serve sprouts with lamb's liver and bacon, with swede and potato mash, tenderstem broccoli, making an onion gravy using the liver blood. Liver and bacon is a traditional British dish. Another traditional use for sprouts in England is called Bubble and Squeak, where cooked sprouts are mixed with mashed potato and other cooked vegetables (peas, cabbage, swede, carrots) and shallow fried, but I prefer heating in microwave and then quickly dry frying with a small amount of oil to get a crispy outside and a piping hot core. When I have time I will give your recipe a go, too.