Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Yes, I made brussels sprouts, the icky green vegetable that everyone loves to hate. They can smell pretty bad and, yes, there is such a thing as being too healthy because too-healthy things usually don't taste good. But these do. As a picky eater, I have found that there are two ways to make things taste better. First, I cook them myself. If I know what's in something, I'm not afraid of what I'm eating. Second, I smother them in things I do like. In this case, that's bacon because there's one way to make anything taste good, it's adding copious amounts of bacon. Add a nice dose of maple syrup and you won't even realize you're being healthy.

These brussels sprouts start by cooking the bacon. That's right; you're not only eating bacon, you're cooking everything in the bacon fat to make sure that smokey, salty goodness permeates every bite. You take the bacon out so that it doesn't get overcooked, then cook the garlic, habanero, and brussels sprouts in the fat to make everything nice and crispy. Add the bacon back into the pan with the maple syrup, but be careful not to burn the maple syrup since you do want to caramelize the brussels sprouts without making them charred and bitter. Ideally, the brussels sprouts will be sweet, salty, and spicy, the perfect dish for Thanksgiving or any night of the year.

3 Cups Brussels Sprouts, Halved
4 Strips Bacon
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
1/2 Habanero, Minced
3 T Butter

3 T Maple Syrup

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Remove and chop, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the butter to the bacon fat.

Cook the brussels srpouts in the skillet until the brussels sprouts are tender, about 12 minutes, adding the garlic and habanero about halfway through. Season with salt and pepper, then add the maple syrup. Cook until caramelized, about 3 minutes.

Serves 6
Recipe Adapted from Authentic Suburban Gourmet