Roast them
Try roasting sprouts if you don’t like them streamed. Half an hour in the oven completely transforms them, giving them a nutty, slightly burnished flavour and a firm texture, without sogginess. You just throw the whole, trimmed sprouts onto a roasting tray, drizzle with oil and a pinch of salt and roast until sizzling and tender.
Shred them
Don’t fancy the look of a pile of sprouts all green and steaming in a bowl on the Christmas table? Then slice them up thinly and fry them instead. The best bit about this is that they stay lovely and glossy and the aromatics you add to the pan with them cover more of the surface area of the sprouts – so you get more flavour with every bite.
Add some Indian spice
Stir in a spoonful of mild curry paste while you’re pan-frying your shredded sprouts and you’ll give them a spicy flavour boost. They’ll go beautifully alongside your roast turkey for an unusual twist. Once they’re tender, turn off the heat and squeeze in some lemon juice and a pinch of salt to lift the flavours.
Mix them up with other veg
You don’t have to have Brussels sprouts on their own. Combine them with other veggies, like broccoli florets or shredded cabbage. Butternut squash and sweet potato work well too, and give some contrasting colour. It sounds simple but it might be easier to have them as part of the Christmas feast with a little help from their veggie friends.
Get cheesy- for the ones that do eat dairy 🙂
You know how a creamy, cheese sauce turns other veggies into a bubbling dish of heaven? Broccoli, cauliflower and leeks all benefit from a bake in a cheesy sauce, and so do sprouts. Just as the vegetables begin to soften, swirl in a little double cream, chopped garlic and grated cheese. Allow it to come to a bubble and then pour into an ovenproof dish and scatter more grated cheese on top. Bake for about 10 minutes in a hot oven until bubbling and golden on top. Try it with Cheddar, Parmesan or a tangy blue cheese.
Sweeten them up
Brussels sprouts pair up beautifully with their classic Christmas counterpart – cranberries. A handful of dried cranberries thrown in towards the end of cooking to heat through lift the leafy, earthy flavours from the sprouts and give a burst of sweetness. You can also drizzle a little maple syrup over sprouts towards the end of roasting and then put them back in the oven for the last few minutes for a glossy, sweet glaze. Don’t go overboard though, you don’t want to make them taste like dessert, you just want to give them a festive burst of sweetness.
Chuck in some nuts
Chestnuts, pine nuts, walnuts and pecans are all good. They give a sweet crunch that contrasts with the tender green sprouts. Just throw a couple of handfuls in to fry or roast along with the sprouts. The sprout and nut combo works really well with a third ingredient – try it with some cheese or dried cranberries – or splash in a drop of white wine or marsala for a luxurious, festive flavour.
