Mason-Dixon Recipes

Roasted Brussells Sprouts

We kids feared many things in those days—werewolves, dentists, North Koreans, Sunday School—but they all paled in comparison with Brussels sprouts.

         — Dave Barry

Brussels Sprouts are a member of the cabbage family, Brassica. There are hundreds of varieties in this family including mustard and horseradish.

The origin of Brussels sprouts is not exactly known. Forerunners to modern Brussels sprouts were probably cultivated in Ancient Rome. Although native to the Mediterranean region with other cabbage species, Brussels sprouts first appeared in northern Europe during the fifth century.

Brussels sprouts as they are now known were grown possibly as early as the 13th century in what is now Belgium. The first written reference dates to 1587. During the 16th century, they enjoyed a popularity in the southern Netherlands that eventually spread throughout the cooler parts of Northern Europe.

INGREDIENTS

¹/₂ lb (8 oz) sausage (Andouille if you want to spice it up).
¹/₂ lb brussels sprouts (about 16)
2 medium-size sweet potatoes
1 medium onion

Seasonings:
3 tbsp olive oil, separated
1 tsp salt
¹/₂ tsp fried thyme
¹/₂ tsp dried basil
¹/₂ tsp garlic powder
¹/₂ tsp onion powder
¹/₄ tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut sausage into 1-inch chunks. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a saucepan and sear sausage by frying in olive oil. This ensures the sausage will be done when vegetables are cooked.

Cut of ends of Brussels sprouts. If large, quarter them and if small, half them. Peel Sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Chop onion the same. its important to maintain uniformity of cuts to ensure even cooking.

Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking oil. Add the Brussels sprouts, sausage, sweet potatoes, and onions to the baking sheet. Spread out ingredients on the pan to ensure even roasting. Otherwise vegetables will simply steam.

Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over the ingredients. This helps the herbs and spices to stick. Season all over with salt, pepper, thyme, basil, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Bake for 15 minutes, stir, then bake for 12-15 more minutes. Potatoes are done when fork-soft. Brussels sprouts are done when tender-crisp.

Remove from oven and pour into large bowl. f desired, coat with a brown sugar or mustard sauce. Stir until all ingredients are well coated for better flavor.

Brussels sprouts can be boiled, steamed, stir fried, roasted, and even grilled. Regardless of how they are cooked, don't over cook them. This causes the cell walls ro break down and a very strong sulphur-like flavor is produced. They contain the chemical Sinigri, a sulfur compound having a characteristic pungency. When Sinigrin degrades it produces mustard oils, which are responsible for a pungent garlic and onion odor.

BROWN SUGAR SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
1 tsp garlic powder

Melt butter and brown sugar together in a sauce pan. When melted, add garlic powder. Cook for 5 min and drizzle.

MUSTARD SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

2¹/₂ tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¹/₂ tsp dry mustard
¹/₈ tsp onion powder
¹/₈ tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and either warm in microwave or can be served cold.

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