You probably thought about skipping this blog because you’re thinking “Um, who would eat those? They taste weird, they’re dry/soggy, they are used as punishment at dinner time when you’ve been a less than perfect child.” Brace yourself to throw every stereotypical tid-bit that you’ve ever heard about brussels sprouts away. Far far away.
When prepared correctly they are earth-shattering. You will wish that Lay’s sold them by the Costco sized bagfuls. They make you discover that your hands are better used as shovels to transport food to your mouth. All without making you feel guilty afterward… Maybe a little shameful that someone just witness something so lacking of couth. Wait until they taste it for themselves.
I’m not a potato chip kind of girl, (mostly because I know once I start, I won’t stop till I’m the size of the blueberry girl in Willy Wonka) but with these scrumptious little crisps, I would eat these on a daily basis. Maybe hourly basis. The ONLY negative thing about them, is they take a little to prepare. You have to take the leaves off the base of the sprout. And when you want ALOT (because you will), it takes quite a few brussels sprouts.
- I would say you shouldn’t go less than 2 lbs of brussels sprouts. They tend to shrink when they roast.
- Preheat your oven at 375˚
- Shed the leaves off the body of the sprouts. To start them off, cut the bottom of the sprout off. This will loosen a few layers. Keep cutting off the bottom to peel off more leaves. When it gets to be a tiny ball and the leaves no longer come off, cut in half.
- Having the leaves either in a bowl or zip-lock (gotta loves those baggies), toss in olive oil until they are lightly and evenly coated.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake for 12 min on the first side, then flip over chips with heat safe spatula. Cook for another 12 min. This side sometimes get done sooner than the other side. To be safe, I would check at 10 min. We want them a nice medium brown.
Put in bowl and devour! These are still good room temperature too. Don’t put any leftovers in the fridge. They will no longer be crispy. I’d be surprised if you have leftovers though… Good for you if you have that much will power.
This is a great, healthy alternative to popcorn, chips or other fried fattening snacks. They take care of any salty cravings you might have without expanding your waist line. Try them as toppings on different dishes (mac and cheese, baked potato, salads, etc.).
Try them out on someone who turns their nose up when they hear the word “brussels sprouts” and see if you can break the horrible reputation these little beauties have regrettably gained. I won over my mother, who never speaks a bad name about a vegetable but hated brussels with a burning passion. Thank goodness for food pioneers or we’d still be eating steak and potatoes every night. Or T.V dinners. That’s another rant for another day.
The Everyday Chef and Wife
PapaRem says
Could this be a saleable item?? (Hint, Hint)
Kitty Siekmann says
Today I used the Brussel sprouts you left me from your garden and made the chips. They turned out like your picture! 🙂 And they taste pretty good too! You’re right, they do shrink down and I do want more!!! I was thinking of trying garlic salt on them next time. I Love garlic!