Brussels Sprouts with Sriracha and Bacon

It was at the end of 2009, I was at the airport waiting for my flight. The bad news: My flight was delayed more than an hour due to the bad weather conditions (so they said.) The good news: I had more time to read food magazines. I read at least three magazines. They were December issues, and each magazine had at least one article about "something of the year." One of them was featuring Sriracha sauce as the hottest ingredient, and another magazine listed brussels sprouts as the vegetable star.

Actually, I started using those two ingredients more frequently in 2009. I had no idea Sriracha and sprouts were in vogue though. Roasted brussels sprouts are regulars on the table, and many of my Asian dishes are accompanied by Sriracha sauce. I though it might be an interesting idea to use both ingredients together and create the "dish of the year."

 There was no doubt that brussels sprouts and Sriracha sauce go together. But just coating the sprouts with the spicy sauce sounded boring and some what suicidal (unless you can take super spicy food.)  So I mixed mayonnaise with Sriracha sauce to tame the heat, and the bacon is always a nice touch. Of course, you can make it without bacon, but who doesn't like bacon???

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sriracha and Bacon Print Recipe Quantity Ingredients 1 pound brussels sprouts 2~3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tsp sriracha sauce* 2 Tbsp mayonnaise Directions Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove ragged outer leaves on the brussels sprouts and discard. Trim the stem ends and cut into halves. In a large, oven-safe flying pan, sauté the bacon over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned. Remove the bacon to paper towels; set them aside. Discard all but 1 Tbsp of bacon fat. Place brussels sprouts in the pan the flat side down, and cook over medium heat for 6 minutes until the bottom of the sprouts starts to brown. Turn off the heat, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 20 minutes until the sprouts are tender. In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, sriracha sauce and mayonnaise. Add the sprouts and the bacon; mix well and serve. * If you are sensitive to heat, You may start with 1 tsp of sriracha and adjust later. Serves 2~4