And finally, the temperature has dropped. After my first summer in Italy, I can officially say I am not a fan of summer. I lived all my life in a tropical country, where you cannot walk from point A to point B without sweating, where you can feel your skin cooking under the sun if you are brave enough to go outside in the middle of the day. As much as I respect italians for going en masse to the hottest beach they can find, I prefer to spend the summer safely under a shadow.
But now, the fall is here. Autumn is here, depending on where you are from. And this is the season for all things comforting: boots, knit sweaters, and melty cheese. Yes, it's time to melt cheese on top of everything.
So my husband went grocery shopping and came back with some beautiful brussel sprouts, because we are trying to eat more healthy and include more vegetables in our diet. I did manage to make the dish less healthy by adding butter and cheese, but at least I controlled myself and did not put bacon in it. But you should.
For this delicious plate of brussel sprouts and potatoes, you will need:
500 gr of fresh brussel sprouts
About 3 medium potatoes (cut in pieces and boiled in salted water)
Half an onion
1 clove of garlic
olive oil
Swiss cheese
salt and pepper
For the sauce: 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of flour, half cup of milk, salt, pepper and paprika.
As you can see the sauce is a basic bechamel, so you start making your roux with the butter and flour, and then whisking in the rest of the ingredients. Put this aside. In another pan ( I always use my nonstick wok; I cook everything in it) add a splash of olive oil and start cooking the onions and garlic. When the onions are soft add the brussel sprouts, washed and cut in half. Cook until the brussel sprouts are browned and have started to caramelize, adding some water if necessary. When the brussel sprouts are cooked, add the potatoes to the pan, and then the sauce. On top of this, sprinkle some grated swiss cheese (as much as you want; I used about 1/3 cup) and mix until everything is melted. Adjust salt and pepper and you are done!
Since I did not used any bacon, I toasted some bread crumbs in a little butter and used it as a topping. You can use seasoned croutons as well. You can add more milk if the mix is too stiff. You can do this in the oven (just do the sauce more liquid and cook all together in the oven for 30 minutes).
Serve this as a side dish, on its own. It is so good you will not believe you are eating brussel sprouts. Ah, and the combination of cheese, potatoes and brussel sprouts, reminded my husband about an italian pasta called pizzoccheri, he said it tasted just like that. But I will explain pizzoccheri on another ocasion.
Buon Appetito!
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