Brussel Sprouts & Bacon Salad
Posted on | February 12, 2013 | 2 Comments
I used to think I hated brussel sprouts. I’d never eaten one, but they are the stereotypical “evil” vegetable that everyone is supposed to gag over when they are forced to view them, never mind eat them. So, for years, I stayed far away from them. Steamed sprouts? Ew. Grilled sprouts? Give me a steak, damnit. Fried sprouts? WHY WASTE PERFECTLY GOOD OIL?!
But as I have matured, I’ve grown tired of my “all broccoli, all the time” veggie diet, and I decided to expand my horizons a bit. When we had some friends over for dinner last week, they suggested roasting some sprouts. Ever the skeptic, I told them to go ahead but I wasn’t all that interested.
But y’all? They were pretty darn good. They weren’t my favorite because they were still a little cabbage-y for me, but better than the mushy, gross sprouts I had imagined. So last night, I decided to take it a step further and add bacon. EVERYTHING is better with bacon. What was created ended up being a Hot Brussel Sprouts and Bacon salad. YUM.
Ingredients:
Lots of sprouts. I used about 2 lbs. These suckers cook down!
Five slices of bacon (or add more…you rebel)
Tablespoon of butter (optional…but why wouldn’t you add it?)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Lemon
1) Cut off the stem ends of the sprouts and peel the yucky outer layers. Just a leaf or two will do ya.
2) Chop ‘em up! I cut them in half then diced them lightly. The point is for them to be slaw-ish.
3) Set them aside.
4) Cook some bacon! YAY, the best part! Let it get relatively crispy.
5) When bacon is done, remove it from the pan and set aside to drain.
6) Drain off excess grease from bacon pan. You don’t have to go overboard with wiping it out or anything. You need a little something, something to cook up those sprouts.
7) Season the sprouts with kosher salt and pepper (to taste).
8) Heat pan with bacon specs and drippings over medium, then toss in those sprouts. Go ahead and add the butter (you know you want to).
9) Cook ‘em until they crisp up, stirring frequently. Mine took about 8 minutes.
10) Take them out of the pan in set them in a bowl. Crisp your bacon over the top.
11) Cut your lemon in half, and add about a teaspoon to a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.
Eat while hot!
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2 Responses to “Brussel Sprouts & Bacon Salad”
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February 12th, 2013 @ 3:36 pm
Sounds good! My husband is usually up for trying new things. And we could really stand to add more vegetables! Thanks!
February 12th, 2013 @ 4:18 pm
I have loved brussels sprouts since my brother turned his nose up at them when I was 3 and he was 7. You have to love what your brother despises, right? Anyway, my mother always sauteed them in butter and lemon till they browned. Love them that way! But I will definitely try your bacon method. Because BACON!!