Urban Plates Inspired: Brussels Sprouts & Potatos

Haha...I'm back! Okay blogging is no joke...it's seriously a full-time job. So kudos to professional bloggers.

Before I left for Hong Kong, I said I would post up one of my summer recipes...yeaaaaaaaaa, no.

I'll post it (Summer Garden Salad) sometime later... :p

As for today, my newest fad is caramelized Brussels sprouts and roasted potatoes! I never ate Brussels sprouts until last year...I actually never even knew what it looked like. I guess Asian families don't eat Brussels sprouts. My first time making Brussels sprouts was a disaster (tried to bake them, like baking kale chips) so I haven't had it since...but when I came back from my semester abroad, my friends and I went to Urban Plates and one of the servers recommended it so I gave it a try...utter delish. Since then, I've been craving it and one day when I opened the fridge...there were a bag of Brussels sprouts! It was made to be.

I looked up a couple recipes online and decided to go with this one (because the pictures are so pretty *o*): http://www.simplyscratch.com/2013/01/caramelized-balsamic-glazed-brussels-sprouts.html

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper

Two handfuls of Brussels sprouts = ~10 pieces 

1 quarter Brown Onion 

2 slices of Bacon 

2 cloves of Garlic

Recipe:
*Note: I made this concurrently with the roasted potatoes so there will be some overlap in the sharing of ingredients
1) Cut the Brussels sprouts in half
2) Toss in the left over marinade of the potatoes (see below)

3) Fry the bacon with olive oil in a large pan over high heat

4) Add onions to the bacon and cook until golden brown (adjust heat to medium if it starts to burn).
5) Remove onion and bacon onto a paper towel over a plate and let drain
6) Add a little more olive oil to the pan (leave the residue from the onions and bacon)

7) Add Brussels sprouts face down and steam for about 5-8 mins
8) Once the Brussels sprouts start to brown, add bacon and onions
9) Add minced garlic and stir for another 5 minutes
10) Add a bit of acidity with balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

Serve!

You can add salt and pepper throughout the cooking process...up to your discretion.

Serving size: 2

Roasted Potatoes

The potatoes at Urban Plates were also pretty good but I was inspired to make potatoes back when I was in Hong Kong. In addition to bacon, I don't eat potatoes very often but when I was in Hong Kong, all my European friends kept talking about how they crave potatoes super bad...and somehow that starting making me want to eat potatoes. I was riding the bus back home in Hong Kong and that day the television on the bus was featuring a cooking channel. The chef demonstrated a simple and quick recipe of baking/roasting potatoes wrapped in bacon. I decided to give it a try a couple nights ago when I made dinner for my sister in law and it turned out really well! Today I did not make potatoes with the bacon but I'll include the directions in the recipe.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper

4 Yellow Potatoes

Rosemary

Garlic Salt & Rosemary

Recipe:

1) Soak potatoes for about 10 minutes

2) Cut potatoes in half

3) Toss potatoes and coat in olive oil, garlic salt, rosemary, and ground black pepper (can use the left overs to coat the Brussels sprouts)

4) Place potatoes on pan and drizzle olive oil (optional)

5) Add leftover minced garlic (from Brussel sprouts) on top to garnish

6) Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes until golden and crispy on the edges

*While you bake the potatoes you can finish cooking the Brussels sprouts and they will be finished by the same time.

Serving size: 2 (unless you love potatoes and can eat more)


*I like eating these dished chilled so you can stick them in the fridge before serving. It goes great with quinoa and kale salad. :p Mmm hipstuh food.