Caramelized Brussels Sprout Gratin

I am a Brussels Sprout kinda girl.  I discovered my love for them 3 years ago at our favorite restaurant in town Niche – owned by our friend Ethan.  He takes veggies from run of the mill to simply extraordinary.  One of his vegetal small plates is a Shaved Brussels Sprouts dish – simple but delicious and something we order every single time we go.

Ever since I made friends with those sprouts from Brussels, I’ve been adding them as a side dish to dinners at my place.  I firmly believe that they belong on the table for Thanksgiving, so I present for your table this rich, savory gratin.

Caramelized Brussels Sprout Gratin

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Brussels Sprouts, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons Butter, or Oil or Duck Fat
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1 tablespoon White Flour
• 1 pint Half & Half
• 1/2 teaspoon Bouillon
• 1/4 cup Gouda, shaved
• Salt / Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Toasted Bread Crumbs

Method:

The key to this Gratin is caramelizing the Brussels Sprouts BEFORE you get them into your casserole dish to bake.  Once they are washed and trimmed, slice them extra thin (a mandolin could come in handy here, but I put my fingers as risk and just dive in and do it by hand).  You want them to be almost shaved.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.  Put a large skillet with a little oil/butter/duck fat – either/or onto your stovetop over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the shaved Brussels Sprouts and sauté until they are bright green and starting to get toasty brown and caramelized in areas.  If they start to turn dark brown and stick, add some oil and splash of water.  Do not cook them to the point that they are super soft.

Put the caramelized sprouts into a 9 x 9 casserole dish and set aside.

In the meantime, melt the butter over medium heat in a small sauce pan.  When it is 100% melted, but before it starts to brown, turn down the heat and add the flour. Be prepared with a whisk and cook the butter and flour together to create a roux – mixing until smooth but taking care not to burn.

Whisking constantly, pour in the cream and turn the heat up slightly.  Bring to a simmer and add the bouillon, stirring to make sure it dissolves.  Add salt and pepper to taste – although if the bouillon is salty, you may not need any additional salt.

Pour the white sauce over the top of the brussels sprouts.  You can go until this point up to 24 hours in advance.  If wanted, you can wrap your casserole dish tightly and refrigerate until right before you want to bake it.

When you oven is nice and hot sprinkle the top of the dish with toasted breadcrumbs and bake for 30 minutes until hot a bubbly.  Serve warm and your taste buds will swoon.

Love to hear you favorite holiday side dish or Brussels Sprout dish in the comments below!

Also, check out some of our other Thanksgiving recipes here:

• Dry Brined Turkey with Extra Crispy Skin
• Vegan Pumpkin Pie
• Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Bake

ALSO – coming this week, so stay tuned daily:

• Gin Brined Turkey
• Stewed Green Beans
• Brown Bag Apple Pie
• How to Make Homemade 10 Hour Broth
• And More!

Lydia, missing summer, but liking soup weather