“We kids feared many things in those days - werewolves, dentists, North Koreans, Sunday School - but they all paled in comparison with Brussels sprouts.” - Dave Barry, Miami Herald columnist 

I remember having Brussels sprouts in preschool: boiled, slimy, cabbage-y lumps of sadness. I think my mom was raised on the same recipe because she refused to eat them (and therefore cook them for us). This past Christmas, however, a miracle happened... we had Christmas dinner with a friend who roasted them. And they were delicious! So scrumptious and tantalizing in face that I took it upon myself to google "roast brussels sprouts in the oven". Now I'll save you the step and help you make some awesome roast Brussels sprouts!

Let's be honest - these look pretty questionable. Kind of like a cross between a cabbage, a brain, an alien, and a lucky rabbit's foot. The ones above look even more suspect, because I bought them fresh and froze them and thawed them. The good news is, if you buy them fresh they aren't quite so neon and look a bit more palatable.

First thing's first - preheat the oven to 400ºF. 

Take your sprouts, cut the nubbly stem off the tip (you may lose an outer leaf or two), and cut them in half lengthwise. You can leave them whole, but they cook faster (and are crispier) if you halve them.

Next, prepare your roasting vessel. I use a cake pan that I line with foil because I don't want to scrub roasted oil out of it. Then pick out a GOOD olive oil (because you do want these to taste good). We have a local company that sells fused olive oils (as opposed to infused. Not fully sure of the difference but they were snobby about the fused ones being better so I'll take their word for it). Right now we have bottles of Chipotle, Garlic, Tuscan Herb, and Lemon Citrus. I always use the garlic olive oil because the sprouts turn out tasting like garlic fries. Yum!

Drizzle a bit of olive oil whatever you're roasting in and place the sprouts in the pan. Shake the pan a bit to coat them - you may have to flip them manually - then sprinkle with seasoning. Tonight I used black pepper and red pepper flakes. I don't usually put salt on them because they have their own saltiness. Shake the pan again to be sure both sides of the sprouts are seasoned.

Turn them all on their backs and pop in the oven for 20 minutes. They will start to change color, and they will start to smell fabulous!

Flip them all over on their bellies...

... and pop back in the oven for another 10 minutes (or 15 if you like them to have a full char like I do!). Enjoy them hot!

Okay, you got me - the Brussels sprouts are not the highlight of my dinner tonight! They're sitting alongside some barbecue ribs and a baked sweet potato. Far out, Brussels sprout!

Roast Brussels Sprouts (serves 2)

You will need:

• 8-10 Brussels sprouts
• 2 Tbs olive oil (I used garlic fused olive oil)
• 1/2 Tbs chili pepper flakes (or up to 1 Tbs of the seasoning of your choice)
• Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cut Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise. Drizzle olive oil in roasting pan, place sprouts in pan, and shake to coat. Sprinkle chili pepper flakes over sprouts and shake again to coat. Pepper to taste. Arrange sprouts flat side up and roast for 20 min. Flip sprouts over and roast for 10-15 additional minutes.

Serve hot.