Roasted...Brussels Sprouts?

Ok, almost anyone who knows me knows that I hate Brussels sprouts. Ask my parents. They remember the look on my face when I was a kid. And I've never gone near them again since that night that I couldn't leave the table until I had eaten just one. I was there for hours. I couldn't get past the smell.

So...for Valentine's Day, I made my husband some Brussels sprouts. He loves them, but he hasn't had them in forever because I insist they are gross and don't want them stinking up my house. Imagine my surprise when I found a recipe that a) doesn't stink, and b) actually tastes pretty darn good!

Now, I hope you have a cast iron skillet, because you need an oven-safe skillet, and the only one I had was our new cast iron. I am not sure if it was the cast iron or the fact that I only made about 1/4 of what the recipe called for, but mine was done in half the time that the recipe called for. So my advice is to watch the suckers.

You will need:
Brussels sprouts (1 pound makes four servings, but I was only expecting my husband to eat it, so I made 1/4 pound)
whole garlic cloves (the 1 pound recipe calls for 5 peeled cloves...I used that many for the 1/4 pound version, heehee)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar

Heat oven to 450.

So, cut the hard ends off, cut the sprouts in half, and brush off any loose leaves. Heat the olive oil in your oven-safe skillet. When it is hot, add the sprouts, cut side down, and then toss in your garlic. Cook for a couple minutes, until the bottoms of the sprouts are lightly browned.

Put the skillet in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, shaking occasionally (here is where you watch the suckers!). Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Good served hot or warm, so if they get done a little quicker than you expected, just put the skillet on a cold burner on the stove top and cover it until everything else is done (this works especially well with cast iron, since it holds heat very well).

These are good even without the balsamic vinegar, but if you're hesitant about B. sprouts, then you'll probably want to add the vinegar, because it makes them almost sweet. My husband was in heaven, since it's been YEARS since he had Brussels sprouts. And since Wal-mart sells B. sprouts by the pound, I have enough to try this again, and maybe find another recipe or two to try as well, now that I know that Brussels sprouts aren't hideous!