Crispy Dijon Brussel Sprouts

Happy Easter! I hope your day was special, fun, relaxing and full of good food. We had such a relaxing day, made even better by perfect weather and happy kiddos. We did all the usual Easter things: church, brunch, Easter egg hunt, sugar coma from said Easter egg hunt but I think the best thing I did for Easter was hide my phone from myself.

I spent the day without my watch or phone and friends; it was glorious. I am on the struggle bus when it comes to my phone. I mindlessly scroll constantly. I am distracted and a little agitated and I’m having a hard time focusing. I desperately needed a break.

My phone is back in my pocket today but I haven’t reinstalled any of the apps causing me the most trouble (I’m looking at you Instagram). I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do next or how long I’m going to be on a ‘break’, but I know I’m not ready to go back just yet.

Anyway, this recipe is old. I think it was posted right around Thanksgiving a year or so ago but I got a request to repost it and honestly this is a great year-round dish. Brussel sprouts are seared quickly on high heat, then tossed in brown sugar, Dijon mustard and a splash of white wine vinegar. Tangy, sweet and so delicious.

I watched an online tutorial about how to sear Brussel sprouts starting with a cold pan. You cook the sprouts in a generous amount of olive oil with the lid on. The vegetables sear and steam at the same time, giving the vegetable a deeply brown and crispy outside while softening and cooking the sprout all the way through. In literally five minutes, your pan of Brussel sprouts is finished cooking. I don’t think I’ll ever cook them any other way going forward.

Crispy Dijon Brussel Sprouts   (recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

• 1-2 pounds small Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• kosher salt

Look for Brussels sprouts similar in size, with small, tight heads, as they’re likely to be sweeter and more tender than larger sprouts. For a large batch, you may have to do two batches, simply follow the instructions, transfer sprouts to a plate and start the process over.

Arrange Brussels sprouts in single layer, cut sides down, in a large nonstick skillet. Drizzle oil evenly over sprouts. Cover skillet, place over medium-high heat, and cook until sprouts are bright green and cut sides have started to brown, about 4 minutes.

Uncover and continue to cook until cut sides of sprouts are deeply and evenly browned and paring knife slides in with little to no resistance, 2 to 3 minutes longer, adjusting heat and moving sprouts as necessary to prevent them from overbrowning. While sprouts cook, combine mustard, sugar, vinegar, cayenne, and ¼ teaspoon salt in small bowl.

Off heat, transfer sprouts to shallow serving dish. Coat them with mustard sauce and sprinkle with coarse salt. Serve immediately.