Brussel Sprouts and Bacon

Recently, a couple of friends and I got to talking about how one either loves a brussel sprout or hates them. I have to say that The Bubs love us some brussel sprouts and bacon. One of the ladies said that she was willing to try eating brussel sprouts again if she had a good recipe.

So, this week I made it a point to have us put brussels sprouts and bacon on our menu. We've been cooking this dish for years but never had a formal recipe.

Brussel Sprouts and Bacon

Ingredients:

• A little over 1 pound of Brussel Sprouts
• 2 pieces of slab bacon
• salt and pepper

Instructions:
Cut the tip of the brussel sprout steam off, and then peel the loose dark green leaves. Usually 3 to 4 leaves will fall off or will need to be taken off.
Next cut each brussel sprout in half. By leaving a little bit of the steam on this will keep the sprouts in tact.
In a non stick pan boil some water. This will be the pan you use to saute the brussel sprouts in. Once the water comes to a boil, add the brussel sprouts and boil for 4 minutes. Once the time is up rinse the vegetables with cold water to stop the cooking and set aside.
While the brussel sprouts are cooking I typically cut the bacon into small pieces. Then when the vegetables are cooling, cook the bacon on a medium heat and render the fat. Once the bacon is crisp pull the pieces out of the fat and set it aside.
Heat the bacon fat on a medium high heat and put the brussel sprouts in. (If you are feeling adventurous try adding a little shallot or finely chopped red onion for a little flair.) Salt and pepper to taste. Cook the vegetables at this heat for about 10 minutes. You want to cook them until they brown a bit.

Once the are browned to your liking then put them on a plate and sprinkle with the bacon that had been set aside. Enjoy.