Cranberry Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

As you all know by now, we are big fans of playing with our food over here.  It's one of the joys of life that I somehow never outgrew.  I'm one of those people that gets a lot of enjoyment out of putting together new flavors and textures and seeing what will happen... sort of like that rat in the movie Ratatouille.  Ha!  I also like having multiple flavors and textures in the same dish.  Like this one one here.  My daughter and I just adore roasted Brussels sprouts.  I usually roast them with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and top them with Parmesan cheese; but I thought that this close to the holidays, I would try something a bit more festive.  

Full disclosure - we enjoyed these so much that she and I grabbed two forks and ate the entire batch for dinner.  Bam!  That's it.  To heck with anything else.  First of all, roasting the sprouts brings out that little crunchy caramelization on the edges.  Yummm.  So you have the savory sprouts, sweet  chewy cranberries, smoky bacon, tangy creamy goat cheese, sweet caramelized roasted onions... how delicious can one bite get?!  Did I mention they were so easy?

#glutenfree #sidedish #easy #lowcarb #healthy 

option for #dairyfree #paleo #whole30 
#brusselssprouts #thanksgiving #holidaymeals

Print this Recipe!

Ingredients: (4-6 servings as a side)

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts
• 6 strips maple bacon
• You may not need all the bacon, but will need the bacon grease
• 1 small onion (baseball sized)
• Kosher salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 1oz box dried cranberries or small handful 
• 1 handful of crumbled goat cheese (chevre) 
• omit for #dairyfree #paleo #whole30

Step-by-Step:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut bacon into half inch lardons (thin pieces).  Fry the bacon in a skillet until desired amount of crispiness then remove with a slotted spoon to paper towel to drain.  Reserve the bacon drippings as you will need this to put over the Brussels sprouts.  

6 slices maple bacon cut into 1/2" pices

remember to reserve bacon grease!

don't worry.  The extra won't go to waste.  I have bacon thieves at my house.

Cut Brussels sprouts in half through the stem.  In a medium bowl, pour the warm bacon drippings over the sprouts and mix to coat.  Pour the coated spouts out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet with cut sides up.  (This makes cleanup so much easier.  Trust me.)  While bacon grease is still "wet,"  season generously with salt and pepper.

1 pound of Brussels sprouts cut through the stem.

Cut the onion into thick rings.  If you cut them too thin, they will burn.  Separate the rings and place them over the sprouts.  Roast the sprouts in preheated 400F oven for about 40 minutes.  You may want to shake them around and turn them over midway through cooking.  

1 small onion cut into thick rings, then in half.

roast 400F x 40 minutes

Remove from oven.  Add roasted vegetables to serving dish.  Add handful of dried cranberries and crumbled goat cheese.  *I find that the pre-crumbled goat cheese stays together better, and looks prettier for serving, than the one you crumble yourself (which melts faster and just becomes a puddle).  Serve immediately.

Dried cranberries

Here's where you get to add a nice handful of that crispy bacon.  Sorry, I forgot the picture.  You probably won't need it all... but hey, that's more to munch on!

crumbled goat cheese (omit for #dairyfree #paleo #whole30)

Bonus Recipes:
Carrot Souffle

Toffee Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Upside Down Cake

Maple Bacon Green Beans

Butter Pecan Sweet Potatoes

Written Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut bacon into half inch lardons (thin pieces).  Fry the bacon in a skillet until desired amount of crispiness then remove with a slotted spoon to paper towel to drain.  Reserve the bacon drippings as you will need this to put over the Brussels sprouts.  

Cut Brussels sprouts in half through the stem.  In a medium bowl, pour the warm bacon drippings over the sprouts and mix to coat.  Pour the coated spouts out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet with cut sides up.  (This makes cleanup so much easier.  Trust me.)  While bacon grease is still "wet,"  season generously with salt and pepper.  

Cut the onion into thick rings.  If you cut them too thin, they will burn.  Separate the rings and place them over the sprouts.  Roast the sprouts in preheated 400F oven for about 40 minutes.  You may want to shake them around and turn them over midway through cooking.  

Remove from oven.  Add roasted vegetables to serving dish.  Add handful of dried cranberries, crispy bacon and crumbled goat cheese.  *I find that the pre-crumbled goat cheese stays together better, and looks prettier for serving, than the one you crumble yourself (which melts faster and just becomes a puddle).  Serve immediately.