People, I used to haaaaaaaaaaaaate Brussels sprouts. My mom always prepared them by boiling the crap out of them until they became off-white lumps of mush and smelled like bad morning breath mixed with dirt. I believe – and my mom can probably back me up – that I never once at a Brussels sprout while living under my parents’ roof.

So you can imagine my horror in the early days of Dave-n-Wiggs when I went to my in-laws’ house for dinner one night and saw Dave’s mom washing some Brussels sprouts. I mean, what do you do in that situation? You want to be nice and eat the lovingly prepared food, but you puke a little in your mouth whenever you even look at the buggers.

I watched fearfully as she sliced each sprout in half, then sprinkled them with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and a little salt and pepper. I cringed as she put them on a baking sheet and slid them into the oven. Four hours later, I choked back a sob as she pulled the baking sheet out and scooped the caramelized vegetables into a serving dish.

People, I tried to get out of eating those sprouts. I gave Dave my most meaningful panicked look, but to no avail: you know how sometimes you’re with your partner in a group of people, and you’re trying as hard as you communicate using only your eyebrows and nostrils, and he just looks at you blankly? Even a swift kick to the shin under the table didn’t get Dave to comprehend anything but his sudden rage that I had just given him a nasty bruise.

So anyway. I won’t keep you in suspense: I pulled a very non-Wiggs-like move and choked down one of the Brussels sprouts.

And then I ate another.

And another…aaaand…you get the point.

Holy CRAP, people, it turns out that Brussels sprouts are AWESOME if you prepare them correctly. Not only do I like them, but I crave them sometimes. That’s huge, considering my history with the vegetable.

Without further ado, here’s my mother-in-law’s recipe* for roasted Brussels sprouts. Make more that you think you’ll need. Trust.

Ingreeds:

• 2 lbs fresh Brussels sprouts (this amount didn’t even make it to our dinner table. We just stood around in the kitchen, eating them with our fingers and exclaiming over how good they were)
• Some balsamic vinegar (I poured a goodly amount – maybe four glurgs – over the sprouts)
• Some olive oil (about half the amount of vinegar)
• Some salt and pepper

Sorry, folks, I know that’s totally unspecific. But it should give you hope: this recipe is ridonkulously easy. I took a close-up so you can get an idea of how much balsamic I used. It wasn’t much; just enough to lightly coat each sprout.

Next, trim and halve the sprouts and toss them with the balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place them face-down (to get some good caramelization going) on a baking sheet and stick them in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes, or until they’re brown and slightly crispy. Toss the roasted sprouts with a little bit more balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with salt, and try not to burn yourself as you shovel them straight into your face.

*I should note that Dave’s mom roasts her sprouts at 225 degrees for about four hours. I didn’t have that kind of time when I made these guys – the flavors aren’t as deep, but they’re crispier and still delicious. I say do whatever you’ve got time for.

How do you prepare your Brussels sprouts? And have you had your mind changed about a food recently?

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