Beat This:
Brussel Sprouts
Written By Ann Hodgman
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Whose Thanksgiving side dishes are better: author Ann Hodgman's or your mother's? Take on our ramped-up "Beat This" challenge and let us know.
Get the Recipe for Ann's Brussel Sprouts
I only start to love the turkey when it's time to put it into a sandwich. At Thanksgiving dinner itself, it's a backdrop. A gorgeous backdrop, true, but never the first thing I eat. What I really pile my plate with is side dishes. And dessert, of course, but that comes later. I start with the best Brussels sprouts in the world. They're beautiful mahogany jewels — well, not jewels exactly, but not at all like the typical Brussels sprouts. They've been roasted until they're crisp and brown and deep-tasting. Then there's stuffing. People have strong opinions about stuffing, so I'm glad to settle all disputes: Mine is the best. Sausage, fresh thyme, apples and dried cranberries, and Pepperidge Farm stuffing — the only "mix" I allow in my kitchen. The battle over whether to use mini marshmallows in the sweet potatoes has destroyed many a family. I have the answer: my sweet potato biscuits. They're delicious. When my kids were little, it was the only part of the dinner they really looked forward to. And let me just say that I've perfected the recipe for mashed potatoes. But before I touch the sprouts, stuffing, biscuits, or potatoes, I have to remember to save room for the cranberry velvet pie . . .
I seriously doubt your recipes are better than mine. But I hereby throw down the official "Beat This" Thanksgiving gauntlet.
How To Enter: If you think you have an unbeatable recipe for sweet potato biscuits, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, stuffing, or a really great pie, send them to wondertime.editors@disney.com with "Beat This" in the subject line. All entries must be received by 11:59:59 p.m., October 31, 2008.
The Wondertime judges will test my recipes against yours and decide on one winner in each category. If I win, I'll be as braggy as ever. If you win, you'll get $100.
Of course there are a couple of rules. No previously published recipes or prepared mixes allowed. We're really looking for the best recipes. Not the most healthful, not the quickest, not the cheapest, but the best. There are plenty of other contests for cheap, quick, or healthful imitations of good recipes. We want the kind of food that people will force you to give up the recipe for, the recipes that make your family and friends thankful for what a great cook you are. To read the complete rules, click here.
Next: Get The Recipe for Ann's Brussel Sprouts
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Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Food writers have a few Thanksgiving traditions of their own, and one of them is coming up with recipes meant to convert Brussels sprout haters. Typically, the note at the top of such recipes will begin, "Even if you think you don't like Brussels sprouts . . ." Typically, too, the recipe will have a million ingredients that are meant to trick you into thinking you're not eating Brussels sprouts at all. This recipe doesn't. In fact, it's beautiful in its simplicity. I'm not suggesting that you try the following recipe; I'm ordering you to. You won't believe how good it is. No matter how many of these I make, they always disappear. This classic roasting recipe also works well with cauliflower florets — with almost any vegetable, really, as long as you get the times right.
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
3 tablespoons corn or olive oil
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Heat oven to 400. Line a rimmed cookie sheet or baking pan with foil. In a large bowl, with your hands, toss sprouts gently with oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet, cut side down.
Bake sprouts in the upper third of the oven for 25 to 35 minutes. Every 5 minutes or so, gently shake the pan and push sprouts around with a spoon to ensure even cooking. (Keep the cut side down, though.) The sprouts are done when they are mostly deep brown. Don't let them get black, but do let them brown thoroughly.
You can serve these hot, cold, or at room temperature. You can toss them with a bit of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice, but we like them plain and hot at my house.
Click for tips on roasting other vegetables
