"Mon Petit Chou" Likes These and You Will Too--Especially If You Love Garlic

I am planning my garden and this year I intend to plant Brussels Sprouts.

Before you say "yuck"  (and you could at least say "feh") let me tell you that most Brussels Sprouts in the US are raised in California and don't get the cold weather they need to be properly sweet.  Which is why, if you live in areas with a hot summer, you really need to plant Brussels out so that they mature in fall, preferably after the first frost.

Brussels sprouts are really fun to grow in the garden, because they grow up a tall plant that looks kind of like a palm tree with bumps all over it:

I bring all this up partly because it is the start of gardening season here--truthfully I should have already started my early garden seeds--and because the Washington Post had a great article in a recent food section about sprouts titled "Green and Loveable" that contains 4 recipes for sprouts.

The Man is generally not a sprout fan. But his ears pricked up when I mentioned the magic word--which as many of you know for him is "garlic".

Brussels sprouts roasted with garlic don't get THAT garlicky, but  the sprouts lose most of that bitter flavor  you get with store bought sprouts. And if you let them chill, the garlic flavor does become more pronounced--and it's great with the sprouts.

The Man ate them and enjoyed them. I made some more tonight and he is wolfing them down even as I write this.

Here's a simplified version of the already simple recipe:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Garlic

Wash and halve 1lb of brussels sprouts--about 20-25 nicely sized sprouts. Discard the outer leaves and place in a pan big enough to hold them all in one layer.

Add 5-10 cloves of garlic. I like thinly slicing it, but you can leave it whole if you prefer.

Toss with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.  (I like to use an olive oil spray as well)  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roast at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Toss the sprouts at the 10 and 20 minute marks.

Sprouts are done when they are beginning to brown and carmelize.

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