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Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts & Dried Cranberries

December 1, 2008

This recipe comes from one of my oldest and dearest friends, Rachel. Since our mutual friend Susanna vouched for its deliciousness, I decided to make it, untested, for Thanksgiving this year. It was definitely the best-received dish amongst those that tried it out of our whole meal. I wound up cooking mine in a saute pan on the stove top because I was out of room in my oven. Unfortunately, the color suffered — instead of the still bright-green sprouts you get when they’re roasted, my dish was muddy-looking and not terribly appealing visually. It was still yummy, though!

Chestnuts can be pricey unless you roast and shell them yourself. (J. and I tried this one year when we were making chestnut soup — I will never do it again in a quantity for anything other than a light snack. It’s a lot of work, and we cut our fingers on the tough shells.) Last year my mom had luck finding roasted, shelled chestnuts for a very low price at an Asian market near her — I think they were less than $3 a bag! They were available at one of my local supermarkets, too. This year I could only find the more expensive, jarred variety. But to me, the cost is worth it for all the labor saved.

I was too busy getting Thanksgiving dinner on the table to take a photo!

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts & Dried Cranberries
Slightly adapted from Rachel’s recipe

3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 10-oz. cups fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/2 c. unsweetened dried cranberries
1 jar roasted, shelled chestnuts (about 14 oz.)

Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly coat an 8″ x 8″ baking dish with non-stick spray. Whisk together first group of ingredients to make a sauce, set aside. In a separate bowl, toss second group of ingredients together until well-mixed, and then place in the greased baking dish. Pour sauce over Brussels sprouts mixture. Bake 30 minutes or more until sprouts are tender and caramelized.

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Filed under: Holidays,Veggie Sides

Tags: cooking, dinner, recipe, sauce, whole