Brussels sprouts are a newfound glory in my life. Neither of my parents will eat them because they grew up hating them so much, so I’d never really tried them until a year ago when I tried roasting the individual petals and burnt them all (not a great introduction, but it was my fault, not the vegetable’s fault). When I saw them at St. Lawrence market a few weeks ago, I was bent on trying them again—roast anything tossed in balsamic and it will taste amazing. Right?

This has become a go-to weekend snack for my boyfriend and I. We toss these in the oven while we do chores or watch TV, then just put them in the middle of a table with a spoon and go to town. Last time, we made a savoury chipotle dipping sauce to go with it which was a nice smoky touch. It’s not necessary but it was definitely a good complement.

Besides the fact that these are a great snack/side dish/warm salad, they’re also really good for you. They’re equipped with potassium, vitamin C, B-6, and carry a decent amount of iron and protein as well.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh brussels sprouts, rinsed
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• Generous sprinkling of salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• Dash of cayenne (optional)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Method

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Rid your brussels sprouts of any yellowing leaves and trim the bottoms. Then cut your sprout top-to-bottom to half them. You may have a few extra petals from the sprouts floating around; that’s fine, just toss them in with the rest of your halves and roast them.

In a small bowl, mix together oil, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and minced garlic. Stir together until well combined and pour over the brussels sprouts halves, tossing to coat everything. Lay out coated vegetables on an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake for around 20-25 minutes, occasionally stirring to avoid burning. Once done, the sprouts should be easily piercable with a knife and tender when bitten into. There shouldn’t be crunch.

Toss roasted brussels sprouts in balsamic and serve immediately alongside a smoky chipotle dipping sauce, or on their own as a salad or side dish. I would tell you how long they last in the fridge, but they’ve never made it that far.