roasted baby brussels sprouts with lemon and almonds

i guess i can say that growing up,

my sisters and i were pretty lucky

when it came to vegetables.

none of us were especially picky

eaters. sure, one of us went through

a stage where nothing leafy and green

(read: parsley) could be on her food,

and for one, my mom had to lie and

say we were not eating brown rice

with dinner, but 'special rice' and maybe,

one of us decided for no real reason

to give up meat, chicken and turkey

at the age of twelve. and, yes, none

of us enjoyed indian food. but still,

we were relatively agreeable for kids,

not only willing, but excited to eat

calamari, lobster, clams and mussels,

avocados and pine nuts,

gefilte fish, chopped liver and lox.

maybe it was because we were

generally so willing to try things -

when it came to vegetables,

my mom let us be.

they were always on the table,

always offered to us,

and sometimes heavily encouraged,

but never insisted upon.

i remember eating dinner

at friend's houses, and later, babysitting,

for people, who would not let

their children leave the table until

every piece of

spinach,

broccoli,

carrot,

was consumed.

and i always felt for them.

i think my mom

(who please understand, still

had her demands, like making

us drink a glass of milk

with. every. single. meal.

regardless of whether it was

peanut butter & jelly or chicken or pizza

and instated a one-sweet-a-week rule)

wanted us to come to the vegetables

on our own, learn to love them

as she did, instead of looking

at them as something negative.

and we did.

it would be impossible

to enjoy

or appreciate

farmer's markets,

otherwise.

and, fortunately, in finding

my inner vegetable lover,

i found brussels sprouts.

it is an old story that

boiled sprouts gave these

green rounds their bad name,

but i'd rather focus on the already

old-news new story:

when roasted, sauteed, blanched,

slivered, separated and shaved

they are amazing.

my favorite way is,

of course roasted:

halved and tossed with

olive oil, then cooked at

a high heat until they

are browned

and slightly crisp

and almost sweet.

simple.

when i found baby brussels sprouts

on sunday, so tiny that they

looked too cute not to buy

(yes, i am a sucker),

i brought them home.

this was not the time to thinly slice,

or pull apart into tiny leaves.

instead, i wanted to keep them whole,

roast them and enjoy them like popcorn

(on the side of a sensible meal, of course).

once trimmed

(which oh goodness, reminds me:

there are a ton of brussels sprouts

in a 1 pound bag of minis -

this took a while),

tossed with olive oil

and sprinkled with salt,

i got to work toasting almonds

and garlic together, zesting

and juicing a lemon and waiting.

i didn't have to wait long.

they were browned and sizzling

in 12 minutes. as soon as they came

out of the oven, i emptied the pan

into a bowl with everything else,

shook until it was combined

and, well, that was it.

this recipe is not winning

an award for longest,

trickiest or

most ingredients.

because they cook so fast

and are so small,

you're able to get a relatively

well-rounded brown,

which is great for me -

i like my veggies ultra dark.

extra caramelization =

extra delicious.

and that's what these were,

tiny temptations so good,

i think any kid would have

trouble resisting them.

roasted baby brussels sprouts with lemon and almonds

if these were missing anything, i think it may have been a sprinkling of grated parm, but we were eating them as a side dish for fish. next time, i would add the cheese. normally i'm pretty strict about my mise en place, but this was so no-frill that i was able to stick the brussels sprouts in the oven and have everything ready to toss by the time they came out. and, i know that it's odd to cook the garlic in a dry pan - i was actually skeptical when i decided to do it - but the process worked. they didn't get brown, they just softened enough to lose their strong bite and they cooked a bit more when tossed with the steaming hot sprouts.

1 pound baby brussels sprouts, ends trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil

kosher salt and cracked black pepper

1/4 cup slivered almonds

3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 lemon, zested and halved

heat oven to 400˚f. place brussels sprouts on rimmed aluminum foil-lined baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil. sprinkle generously with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. bake 12 minutes, or until spotted with golden deep brown spots, shaking pan twice during cooking to rotate vegetables.

meanwhile, place almonds in small skillet. toast over medium-low heat until just starting to color. add garlic slivers and cook 1 or 2 minutes more, or until garlic is no longer raw and almonds are nicely browned, but not burnt.

place vegetables in bowl; add garlic-almond mixture. squeeze 1/2 lemon over brussels sprouts, catching seeds. add 1 teaspoon lemon zest. toss to combine. season with kosher salt and pepper. transfer to serving bowl. top with strips of lemon peel, if desired.