Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Chestnuts
- Savory
- Oven
Brussels sprouts and bacon roasted together on one tray until the edges caramelize, with sweet chestnuts and tart cranberries folded in at the end. A savory Christmas side that carries its own protein.
- Total
- 53 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 38
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Roasting · Rendering fat
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 220°C. Trim the base of the brussels sprouts and cut them in half lengthways; cut any very large ones into quarters so all pieces are roughly the same size.
~8 min
Evenly sized pieces cook at the same rate, so small ones don't burn before the large ones are tender.
-
Cut the bacon into 2 cm pieces. Melt the butter and toss it in a large bowl with the olive oil, salt and black pepper.
~4 min
-
Add the brussels sprouts and bacon to the bowl and toss until every sprout is coated. Spread them in a single layer on a large rimmed baking tray, cut sides down, leaving space between the pieces.
~3 min
A single uncrowded layer lets moisture escape and hot air circulate, so the sprouts brown instead of steaming.
Arrange the sprouts cut side down and keep them in one layer: the flat face pressed to the hot tray is what browns, and a crowded tray steams them instead.
Roasting Spread pieces in one layer with space between them and roast at high heat. Crowding traps steam and the food goes pale and soft instead of browned.
-
Roast until the sprouts are tender and deeply browned at the edges and the bacon is crisp, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
~35 min
Stirring once exposes new surfaces to the hot tray, so the pieces brown evenly rather than scorching on one side.
Roasting Spread pieces in one layer with space between them and roast at high heat. Crowding traps steam and the food goes pale and soft instead of browned.
Rendering fat Give the bacon time on the hot tray until the fat turns translucent and the meat crisps. Rushing it leaves flabby, chewy fat.
-
While step 4 cooks
While the tray roasts, roughly chop the chestnuts and cranberries into 1 cm pieces.
~4 min
-
Scatter the chestnuts and cranberries over the hot tray and stir to combine. Return to the oven for 3 minutes, just until the cranberries soften and the chestnuts are warm, then serve.
~3 min
Cranberries added only at the end soften without collapsing and turning bitter, and the chestnuts just need warming through.
Add the cranberries only for the last few minutes. Roasted from the start they collapse and turn bitter.
