Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Brussels sprouts spent decades as the most maligned vegetable in America. Overcooked to sulfurous mush by well-meaning home cooks, they earned their reputation honestly. But the sprout's redemption story is one of the great culinary turnarounds of our time. High heat changed everything.

The secret is simple: cut them in half, expose that fresh interior to screaming hot oven air, and let the Maillard reaction work its magic. Those cut surfaces caramelize into something approaching candy. The outer leaves char and crisp. The centers turn sweet and yielding. Add bacon, and you've created a dish that converts skeptics at every Thanksgiving table I've ever attended.

This recipe has graced my holiday table for years. I've watched guests who swore they hated Brussels sprouts return for third helpings, sheepishly scraping the last caramelized bits from the serving platter. The bacon helps, certainly. But it's the roasting technique that does the heavy lifting.

For large gatherings, this dish rewards advance preparation. You can trim and halve the sprouts two days ahead. The bacon can be rendered the morning of. When your guests arrive and the turkey needs resting time, these sprouts slide into a hot oven and emerge twenty-five minutes later, perfectly timed for the feast.