Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta-Horseradish Cream

Tender, creamy Brussels sprouts

On Twitter this morning, just about everyone was longing for spring. Even though it has been unseasonably warm in January and February this year, and salad greens are returning to the markets, people were yearning for asparagus, snap peas, beans, and even corn. Honestly, I’m perfectly content to wait. Don’t get me wrong, we love asparagus. When it comes back to the market, we do a little dance and jump up and down with joy. But this year, we’re having so much fun discovering new and interesting ways to cook winter vegetables that I’m not quite ready for winter to be over yet.

Take Brussels Sprouts for example. After John’s success with Sesame Brussels Sprout Saute, I’ve been longing to try new Brussels sprout recipes. A quick check of the fridge revealed Sea Breeze Farms pancetta, horseradish, buttermilk, and cream (along with the Brussels sprouts of course). I’ve seen recipes for Brussels Sprouts with Horseradish Cream before and though most of them called for sour cream, I figured I could improvise a bit and come up with something that worked without having to go to the store.

This dish is incredibly easy. It’s the perfect dish to make when you’ve got a complicated main dish since it cooks so slowly with very little interaction. I prefer boiling the Brussels sprouts because it helps preserve their gorgeous color, but really, the dish would be just as delicious with roasted sprouts. The sauce makes the dish, and though the recipe as written won’t produce an overly thick sauce, but you can always mix in a little cornstarch that’s been mixed with a bit of water to form a paste to thicken the sauce up a bit. We used pancetta, but bacon or guanciale would also work well. If you don’t use pancetta though, crack a little bit of pepper into the sauce before cooking.

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta Horseradish Cream adapted from several sources and improvised

1 pound Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed and outer leaves removed
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 tsp prepared horseradish
3 oz pancetta or bacon, thinly sliced and diced

Cook the Brussels sprouts. (Steam for 10 minutes or toss in Olive oil and roast for 25 minutes at 350) Keep warm.
In a large skillet over low heat, cook the pancetta or bacon for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to render the fat and crisp the meat.
Mix the heavy cream, buttermilk, and horseradish in a bowl.
Add the horseradish mixture to the skillet and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens.
Transfer the Brussels sprouts to the pan and heat through, coating with the sauce.
Serve.

Little green balls of death never tasted so good

Notes: We both enjoyed this dish. We steamed the Brussels sprouts just for ease of cooking and clean-up, but you could certainly roast the Brussels sprouts as well for added crispiness. The main goal is just to cook the Brussels sprouts about 90% of the way through. However if you end up cooking them all the way through, don’t worry, they’ll still be fine. The sauce really makes the dish. The pancetta gives the sauce a rich base and the horseradish provides the bite. Serve this dish in a bowl because the sauce really makes the dish and if you serve it on a plate, you’ll lose a lot of the creamy deliciousness.