WINNING SPROUTS FROM LINDA COMERFORD

This recipe is from our 2014 Facebook Christmas contest winner, Linda Comerford. This recipe was a delight to recreate, the simple steps resulted in a delicious dish, perfect for changing your guests’ opinions of sprouts. It’s rich enough to serve alone for a light supper or lunch, but will stand proudly at the Christmas dinner table alongside the turkey and all the splendid delights. We particularly liked that it could be prepared beforehand and cooked at the last minute!

 

Ingredients:

-          1 kg Brussel sprouts, halved, stems trimmed

-          150 g thinly sliced streaky bacon

-          150 g feta cheese

-          Parmesan cheese flakes

-          Black pepper

-          A handful of hazelnuts (amount is up to personal tastes) crushed or finely chopped

-          Butter to taste

How to Prepare:

First heat up your grill and then cook your bacon very slowly until it’s totally crisp. Remove and place on kitchen paper to drain and de-grease. Cook your sprouts the way you like best, but I prefer steaming as they keep their lovely colour and nutrition better this way. Be careful not to overcook!

Lightly grease an ovenproof dish (we used our small oval oven dish in our Fuchsia pattern) and place the cooked sprouts into it. Butter these sprouts and season with good black pepper (if you’re a fan of cracked pepper, this is a great time to use it). Crumble the bacon into small pieces and mix with the cubed feta cheese, then scatter throughout the sprouts.

Next it’s the hazelnuts’ turn, sprinkle them hither and thither. Parmesan flakes should be sprinkled over this and then dot the whole dish with more butter (you deserve the treat!). If you’re preparing this in advance, this is when you should place it aside. Pop under a hot grill or broiler for about 5 to 8 minutes. While you want some browning to occur, monitor it carefully to avoid burning! If you did prepare it in advance you may need to place it in the oven for a few minutes to ensure it is warmed all the way through.

Fancy giving this recipe a try? Send us a picture of your dish on our Twitter or Facebook pages, we’d love to know how you got on!