Spuds and Sprouts
I’m continuing my brussels sprouts love with a recipe I picked up on YumSugar. This is the first way I ever cooked brussels sprouts, and from that point on I was hooked. I’ve adapted the recipe slightly, but the basics are here – a baked potato, smothered with brussel sprouts that have been cooked with bacons, onions, and golden raisins.
Spuds and Sprouts
adapted from YumSugar/Real Simple
Serves 3
3 baking potatoes
Coarse salt
6 strips thick cut bacon
1/2 onion, sliced
3/4 cup golden raisins
1 pound brussels sprouts, halved
3 tablespoons sour cream or butter or good quality olive or walnut oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Wash the potatoes, poke holes in them with a fork, and coat their skin generously with coarse salt. Place on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave for 8 to 12 minutes, until they are just tender.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat, and add the bacon, cooking until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain. Keep about 3 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan, and add the sliced onion. Cook until just becoming tender. Add the raisins, and stir to combine. Once the raisins begin to plump (a couple of minutes), add the brussels sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Combine with the onion mixture, and cover with a lid for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the lid, and finish cooking the brussels sprouts (they should take about 10 to 12 minutes total). Cut the baked potatoes open and add a tablespoon of sour cream, butter, or olive oil per potato. Season with fresh ground pepper (no need for salt if you’re eating the skin), and top each potato with 1/3 of the brussels sprouts mixture. Add 2 pieces of bacon per spud, and enjoy!
I’m not usually big on sour cream for my potato, but I just happened to have some left over from the no-mayo ranch I made with Cobb Salad I had made, so I tried it, and it was good! Whatever your favorite fat is for a baked potato will work really well here, though.
