A couple of years ago, a friend of mine asked me how I cooked brussels sprouts. I gave him several different ways, the quickest and dirtiest (and admittedly, most disgusting in the best way) method being to buy a bag of frozen sprouts, dump them on a cookie sheet, and roast the hell out of them at 450˚ until they were black on the outside and almost melty on the inside. He must have gotten as far as the word “quickest” and left the rest of the sentence floating mid-air, because the next day I got a text from him telling me that it was one of the worst things he’d ever put in his mouth. “Well, yeah…. they’re frozen for one. And for two thru infinity, they’re cooked way too fast, overdone on the outside, soggy on the inside, not seasoned, yada, yada, yada. For me, it’s all about the mustard I’m dipping them in,” I chirp back. “You should try actually prepping and roasting some fresh ones.”

This conversation popped in my head the other day as I was wandering through the produce section and saw a giant, new display of beautiful fresh brussels sprouts. Now, to be clear, I still LOVE the pan of incinerator brussels, but there’s something to be said for carefully scoring the tiny cabbages, marinating them, and roasting them until they are just crispy golden on the outside and soft in the middle. This particular recipe does just that while still giving me that bite of dijon. And it adds a bit of color with rehydrated cranberries, making it a gorgeous dish to add to your dinner table!

maple-dijon roasted brussels sprouts
serves 4

1 1/2 lb fresh brussels sprouts
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup water
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbs dijon mustard
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup dried cranberries + plus warm water
1/4 cup raw hazelnuts, roughly chopped

1) Preheat your oven to 425˚, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. You don’t have to use parchment paper, but clean up is WAY easier.
2) Put the dried cranberries in a small glass and cover with warm water. Set aside to rehydrate.
3) Wash, peel any yellow layers, and cut the nubs off of the fresh brussels sprouts. Then cut each sprout in half length wise and place in a large mixing bowl.

4) In a small measuring cup, whisk together the maple syrup, water, garlic, dijon, red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Pour marinade over the sprouts and coat the sprouts well.
5) Arrange the sprouts on the prepared baking sheet, cut side down so that the outside will crisp up and the insides will get soft.

6) Bake at 425˚ for 25 to 35 minutes, or until you see the outsides turn lightly crisp. The timing will really depend on the size of your sprouts, so I’d start checking at 25 minutes. About five minutes before you think you’ll remove them from the oven, sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts across the pan so they can toast up, as well.
7) Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving bowl. Drain the cranberries and sprinkle them in. Enjoy!

maple-dijon roasted brussels sprouts
serves 4

1 1/2 lb fresh brussels sprouts
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup water
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbs dijon mustard
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup dried cranberries + plus warm water
1/4 cup raw hazelnuts, roughly chopped

1) Preheat your oven to 425˚, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. You don’t have to use parchment paper, but clean up is WAY easier.
2) Put the dried cranberries in a small glass and cover with warm water. Set aside to rehydrate.
3) Wash, peel any yellow layers, and cut the nubs off of the fresh brussels sprouts. Then cut each sprout in half length wise and place in a large mixing bowl.
4) In a small measuring cup, whisk together the maple syrup, water, garlic, dijon, red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Pour marinade over the sprouts and coat the sprouts well.
5) Arrange the sprouts on the prepared baking sheet, cut side down so that the outside will crisp up and the insides will get soft.
6) Bake at 425˚ for 25 to 35 minutes, or until you see the outsides turn lightly crisp. The timing will really depend on the size of your sprouts, so I’d start checking at 25 minutes. About five minutes before you think you’ll remove them from the oven, sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts across the pan so they can toast up, as well.
7) Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving bowl. Drain the cranberries and sprinkle them in. Enjoy!!