Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Balsamic, and Dried Cherries

Update 9/9/2019: I started this blog in 2009 as an online journal to chronicle my journey and record my favorite recipes. Ten years later I can look back and see how much I’ve learned. As I reduced the amount of processed food in my pantry and freezer, I began preparing more and more meals from scratch. This resulted in a change in tastes, likes, and desires. So much, in fact, that I feel it’s time to launch and entirely new blog! I'm going to keep this blog up and running just in case people have linked or pinned the recipes. Here's a link to this recipe on the new site.

Brussel sprouts weren’t on my radar. I don’t remember the first time I had them. I don’t remember my mom making them. My best guess is that I was at a restaurant that served them roasted. I was probably at a steak place with friends and we shared side dishes. Recently I tasted some from a restaurant in Michigan called Roadside and I loved them. They served them deeply roasted and extra crispy. These Brussel sprouts are left in the oven about ten minutes longer than normal in order to get the extra crispy texture.

Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Balsamic, and Dried Cherries

1 quart/bag of Brussel sprouts

4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1/8 cup dried cherries, halved

4 slices of bacon

Olive oil

Salt 

Pepper

1. Peel away any bad leaves and trim the stem.

2. Slice them in half from stem to top. Keep any stray leaves at this point because they end up like a crispy chip. Place them on a pan with parchment paper. Drizzle and toss the Brussel sprouts generously with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Place them in a 425 degree oven. Note: if the bacon is raw, chop it into bite sized pieces and add them to the pan now. If the bacon is par-cooked or leftover then wait until the last 5 to 10 minutes. The full roasting time is 30 to 40 minutes depending on your desired doneness. 

3. While the Brussel sprouts are in the oven, slice the dried cherries in half. Dried cranberries would be great too.

4. I was using par cooked bacon which is bacon that I cooked earlier in the week and kept in the fridge to use whenever I wanted it (for breakfast, salads, and other recipes like this one). I added my chopped par-cooked bacon to the pan after the Brussel sprouts were in the oven for about 20 minutes. Roast everything for another 20 minutes or until desired doneness. 

5. Place 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar in a pan to reduce slightly. If you have a really good syrupy balsamic then skip this step. I also tossed the cherries in too.

6. When the Brussel sprouts have reached their ultimate deep roasted deliciousness toss them with the balsamic syrup.

7. Serve immediately.