Oregano Brussel Sprouts

I like brussel sprouts. There I said it. You can't make me stop liking brussel sprouts. In fact I made some for Christmas dinner, but was the only one to eat them. I made this recipe, which was good, but here's another recipe for you to try so that you might develop a taste for them as well. Recipe from here.

Oregano Brussels Sprouts

To make a meal of this, serve over farro, quinoa, rice, or on top of a frittata. Use leftover oregano drizzle over everything from roasted squash, frittatas, baked potatoes, or with a good amount of fresh lemon juice, as a salad vinaigrette.

• 24 small brussels sprouts (less if you can only find larger sprouts)
• extra virgin olive oil
• fine grain sea salt
  

Oregano Drizzle

• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
• 
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 
1 large garlic clove
• 
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, plus more to taste

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing

• a big handful of toasted almond slices

Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top (quarter, if using larger sprouts) and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact. Or if you're feeling lazy, just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil.

Make the oregano drizzle by pulsing the olive oil, oregano, parsley, garlic, and salt in a food processor until the herbs are just little flecks of green. Season with more salt if needed, and set aside.

Just a few minutes before you're ready to eat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don't overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the brussels sprouts will cook too quickly. Place the sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they're tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Remove from heat and drizzle and toss with as much (or little) oregano pesto as you like. Season to taste, and serve sprinkled generously with the almonds as soon as possible. They really are best straight from the stove top.

Serves 4 as a side.
Prep time: 5 min - Cook time: 8 min