Roast sprouts with onions, fennel seeds, garlic, smoked paprika, dill, and eggs

Folks either love or hate Brussels sprouts. I believe that folks who were first introduced to the brassica in boiled or steamed form always hate it. I learned to eat Brussels sprouts in San Francisco where the creative chefs made delicious recipes, raw, roasted, or grilled and spiced beautifully, hence it is a vegetable I love. Here is a recipe that may turn even the most ardent hater of this vegetable into one who may start eating it.

This is a simple recipe, the vegetables are tossed in a dressing and roasted in the oven. The spices bloom as they roast with the vegetables and the Brussels sprouts are crisp on the outside. Adding the eggs completes the dish, and the runny yolk adds the perfect creaminess to the vegetables. This is a dish I will be making again, and soon.

Gill Meller has been part of the River Cottage team for years working closely with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. He has continued with the same theme, simple elegant foods without fuss. His recipes highlight the fresh and amazing produce of Britain in simple recipes that shine. He has been accredited with changing British cuisine through his work and is one of the leading voices in a healthier and tastier British cuisine. Root stem leaf flower is the first book of his that I own and will definitely not be the last. The recipes are vibrant and unique, simple fare that shines on the table. You will see me cook from here often.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved

2 onions, thinly sliced

4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, or 1 sprig fresh

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 3-4 sprigs

1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf), lightly crushed

2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 eggs

2 tablespoons butter

A handful of dill leaves

Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 425° F.

In a bowl toss the Brussels sprouts with onions, garlic, rosemary, thyme, fennel seeds, paprika, and oil. Toss to coat the sprouts well. Add them on a lined baking sheet in a single layer.

Roast for about 12-15 minutes tossing the mix once after 10 minutes till the sprouts are cooked and just beginning to be charred in spots. Remove and add the butter and toss again. Make 2-3 wells in the pan by moving the sprouts away. Crack an egg into each well. Roast again for 3-4 minutes till the whites are set but the yolks are still runny if you prefer them that way. You can roast for longer for fully cooked eggs but be careful not to burn the vegetables.

Remove and sprinkle with dill leaves, salt, and pepper, and serve immediately.