It wasn’t a pleasant experience; my husband and I were driving across the state and we were starving to death, so we stopped by the first restaurant we could find. The place was nice and the food was good, but to me the Brussels sprouts tasted kind of bitter and not very tasty. Silly me, I thought “well I suppose this is what they’re like”, and didn’t try them again for years.

I’m not sure where they went wrong with the Brussels sprouts in that restaurant, but I do know now that they hadn’t been cooked the right way. Lucky me, my friend invited me over for dinner and gave me a chance to try this lovely veggie again.

I was sold on the first bite! She had made this incredible side dish – or a salad, if you wish, using just a handful of ingredients and cooking them to perfection. It was nowhere near bitter, I tell ya! And there was no way I was going to leave her house without the recipe!

Since then this has become one of my favorite side dishes. Sometimes I even have this for lunch on its own!

Ingredients

• 15 Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat of a knife
• freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
• salt and pepper

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