Brussel Sprouts w/ Crispy Pancetta

Ingredients: Brussel sprouts, pancetta, olive oil, kosher salt, cracked pepper, salted butter

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Before you wrinkle your nose at the thought of eating brussel sprouts, try caramelizing them first in a bit of olive oil! The flavor changes enormously - quite different from either steaming or boiling them. They are crispy, crunchy, and slightly sweeter. The key to caramelizing them is to start with a hot saucepan with a bit of olive oil, placing the halved sprouts face down in a single layer, and not stirring or touching them for about 3 mins, on medium-high heat.

Once you see them brown a bit, you can add a bit of butter for flavor, salt and pepper, toss them around and decrease the heat to low. Cover them with a lid and let the sprouts cook through for another 5-7 mins. 

I took a spin on the classic bacon/brussel sprout combo and browned some chopped pancetta in the pan prior to cooking the sprouts. I allowed the pancetta fat to render off, making way for some crunchy, gourmet bacon bits. I then removed the pancetta and added the brussel sprouts to cook in the same pan, tossed with yummy pancetta grease (much lighter than normal bacon fat). Once they were done, I tossed the crunchy pancetta in with the sprouts right before serving.