Wednesday, October 14, 2009

A Tale of Two Sides

The other night we made a Pot Roast in our crock pot which was very nice but to me it was the Fall sides that really stood out in this meal.
Brussel Sprouts & Bacon
Brussel Sprouts often get a bad wrap & I'll admit I was never a fan of them myself. Then one year I went to the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival & tried these amazing sprouts cooked until brown & tender with bacon & garlic & I was sold. Cooked right, brussel sprouts might just be one of my favorite vegetables now. Even Matt who told me he was not a fan of them ate these happily.

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon & Garlic

1 slice bacon, chopped
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 c brussel sprouts, halved or quartered depending on their size.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon & cook until begins to render some of its fat. Add the olive oil, garlic & brussel sprouts. Cook for a minute or two. Cover & turn heat down to low. Let cook for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the brussel sprouts are tender & browning.

Serves 2
Celeriac
Celeriac or celery root will never win any vegetable beauty contests but flavor-wise it's certainly a winner. Its wonderful in soups & I hear makes a great fritter but I decided to try this gratin I found in Jamie at Home.
Potato & Celeriac Gratin
I do have to say this recipe was not edited very well in the cookbook, with ingredients that never get used & some ingredients added twice in the recipe. I was able to figure it out because I've made gratins before but for a newer cook it would be pretty frustrating. Luckily, the finished result was very tasty & a great pairing with beef. I used buttermilk instead of the typical cream to add a little extra tang. I also used thyme instead of the called for sage because I was using thyme in my beef as well.

Potato & Celeriac Buttermilk Gratin
(adapted from Jamie at Home)

1 lb potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 lb celeriac, peeled & cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 c buttermilk
2 T fresh thyme, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 oz Parmesan, grated
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Put the potatoes & celeriac into a pot of cold water. Salt & bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Drain & let sit a minute or two. Return to the pot & mix with the buttermilk, thyme, garlic & half of the cheese. Season with salt & pepper.

Layer into a butter baking dish (I used a 6 x 8 glass baking dish). Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until brown & bubbly.

Serves 3 - 4

You can make this earlier in the day & refrigerate it until ready to bake.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

16 comments:

HungryinSW said...

Turn the heat down to love! I don't think that was a coincidence - it's perfect. I think that should be the title of your cookbook.


Nothing like cooking something low and slow to make it amazing. I'm going to make those sprouts this weekend!

kat said...

HinSw - Now that's a typo! I had to go fix it but how classic.

maybelle's mom said...

great fall meal. those brussel sprouts looks fantastico.

George Gaston said...

kat... you have shown that two unlikely vegetables can be the "stars" of a wonderful meal. Both are full of flavor and nutritional value, but are rarely prepared. I like your style…

Stacey Snacks said...

Brussells sprouts are my favorite veg besides cauliflower.
I hated both of them growing up!

I pan fry them with pancetta and shallots, or just roast them w/ kosher salt and olive oil.
It's like eating candy!

Both sides look great!

Stacy and Brian's Adventures in Life said...

I love brussel sprouts roasted in the oven with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper....they carmalize up really nice. Thanks for sharing your sides....with Thanksgiving coming up some great ideas. Stacy

Ranee @ Arabian Knits said...

We love to roast brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper. I can eat a pound of them myself that way.

I also shred them and cook with onion, garlic, salt, a little sugar, chicken broth and some toasted pecans for a great side dish that we serve at Thanksgiving.

I haven't ever made celeriac yet. I'd like to try. That and kohlrabi.

Kristin said...

That's the way I like Brussel Sprouts too!!! My mom made them that way once and it was great! (I'm not a huge fan either)

grace said...

brussels sprouts scare me, but toss in some bacon and my fears disappear like magic! and I'm quite sure i'll enjoy au gratin anything. :)

Fresh Local and Best said...

Brussels sprouts carmelized in bacon fat is my favorite way to prepare this side dish. I love love love them! Did I tell you that I love brussels sprouts? :)

Thistlemoon said...

Brussels sprouts and bacon are a match made in heaven, and truly one of my favorite dishes!

Sharon said...

Brussel Sprouts are one of the only veggies I haven't come to love but if you say they're good I'll believe you!

Lisa Paul said...

Sprouts! Sprouts! Sprouts!

I could eat a big plate of sprouts cooked this way and call it dinner.

Now you know I'm weird.

Anonymous said...

I never thought I liked sprouts until I had them one year with chestnuts and bacon. Heaven! I've never tried to recreate it before, but thanks to your recipe I'm going to give it a go!

Nancy said...

Great sides! Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite veggies, and bacon can only make them better. Love the idea of a celeriac gratin; I usually add it to mashed potatoes, braises or soups, and I'm going to have to try this one too!

Peter M said...

I don't get the bad rap for B-sprouts...they are delish and they love bacon.

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