AMY
When Jesse and I went out for our 7-year anniversary, it started with a movie and ended with dinner. We went to the theater and I treated myself with movie theater popcorn and a pack of sweet red licorice. It’s really the only way to watch a movie, am I right?!
We moved to a new neighborhood 2 years ago. We love our new area and since we moved in, we’ve noticed that we have several local restaurants that we have been dying to try. We typically wait until we are too hungry to go somewhere that has a wait time of more than 10 minutes. As it turns out, everyone else knows about these little local restaurants, too. Don’t get me wrong, that’s great for the businesses, but it’s not so great for us. We’ve tried out a few places, but still have so many others on our list.
Our anniversary was a rare time for us to be out without our kiddos and past the prime time for other restaurant goers. Were we having dinner past 6 pm??? Like real adults???? Say what?!?!
We ended up at a charming little diner not far from home. Jesse got the most delicious meal we’ve had outside of the house in what feels like forever. He got one of his go to meals: steak and potatoes. Yes, he got steak from a diner & yes it was delicious. We aren’t just talking about any old steak here either. We’re talking about an 8 oz filet cooked to absolute perfection, creamy slightly zingy horseradish and chive potatoes, and CRISPY roasted brussel sprouts. YUM!
Believe it or not, the steak wasn’t even the showstopper – the CRISPY ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS were! I seriously couldn’t get enough. They were crispy, sticky, savory, sweet, sour and overall just delightful. After devouring most of them off Jesse’s plate (sorry babe!), I knew I just had to recreate them at home. After one attempt, I came close to the real thing! Instead of serving them with steak, I made easy roasted salmon and my version of horseradish potatoes. I hope you enjoy these delicious crispy roasted brussel sprouts drizzled with a balsamic glaze as much as we did!
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze
Roasted crispy golden brown deliciousness. Then these crispy savory jewels are drizzled in a sweet and sour luscious balsamic syrup. Enjoy these as much as we did!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 50
- Category: Sides
- Method: Roasting
Ingredients
- 1 pound brussel sprouts, sliced in half and trim the tough end off
- 2 – 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste*
- 1 ½ cups balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line one or two half sheet pans with aluminum foil (Hello, easy clean up!!). Set these pans aside or place them in the oven to preheat them. I recommend this step because it will help your brussels get a leg up on browning…and crisping!
While the oven and pans are preheating, cut the brussel sprout in half lengthwise and trim off the tough ends. If some of the leaves fall away, do not discard them. Spread out the sprouts and fallen leaves on the pans and drizzle them with olive oil. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, to taste. Salting at this step helps give the sprouts flavor. Also spreading them out and giving them room to breathe allows the veggies to brown and not steam. That’s why I suggest two pans instead of just one. If one does the job, then only use one pan. No big deal! Place the sprouts in the oven somewhere in the top to middle area. Roast for 30 – 40 minutes*, flipping them halfway through.
While the brussel sprouts are roasting, add the balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan. Bring the vinegar to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. You want to boil and stir the mixture until it reduces by half. This process turns the thin vinegar into a thick sweet syrup. It’s the easiest thing you can do to provide a punch of sweet and sour to the savory brussel sprouts.
When the brussel sprouts are completely roasted and crispy, remove them from the oven. I add a spoonful of balsamic glaze at a time and coat the sprouts. You don’t want to drench them because that will destroy all your hard work! When I made these I only added about a tablespoon’s worth of the glaze to the sprouts and served the rest of the sauce on the side.
These were deliciously sticky, sweet, sour and savory jewels of absolute perfection. Enjoy!!
Notes
- I usually sprinkle a generous amount, think ½ to 1 full teaspoon of kosher salt or freshly crushed sea salt.
- These take time, but are so worth it! Be patient!!
Keywords: brussel sprouts brussels balsamic drizzle