Garlic Fest September '07

Why did I go for the "big photo" option? It's not a particularly good photo.

This is pan roasted brussels sprouts with pine nuts and smashed garlic potatoes (I've already eaten over half of the sprouts) My dinner, along with an insignificant piece of steak left over from a couple of nights ago. Pete's out to dinner with my former employer so I can use as much garlic and salt as I like. (I was invited too but I don't love the gear talk as much as they do)

I can also drink as much Cuban Mint Julep as I'd like. Woo-hoo!

However, since I'll probably be taking the dog out at 5 AM, moderation is the key. Stupid moderation.

The potatoes are easy: boil some small potatoes until you can easily stab them with a fork (15-20 minutes) then fry them in a pan with a heapin' helpin' of olive oil. Smash them in the pan with your spatula (or a fork if it works better) add salt (I like kosher, the funnest of all the salts) pepper, chopped herbs if you have or want them (rosemary or thyme would be good) and towards the end add some minced garlic. Flip them at some point, in case you didn't already know.

The brussels sprouts are a little more labor intensive but so worth it.

Here's what you need:
brussels Sprouts
garlic
olive oil
pine nuts
salt 'n' peppa
butter if you want

Trim the sprouts (slice off the bottoms and remove the outer leaves) and cut them in half. Rinse and drain them. Slice the garlic thinly (I'm not helping with the amounts here. I'm sorry. If you get a package of sprouts use three cloves of garlic. If they're loose, well put a bunch of them in the bag and if you can hold them comfortably in two hands, use three cloves of garlic. Or whatever. Maybe you don't like as much garlic as I do)

Pour two tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan. Heat on medium high. Fry the garlic until golden, remove the garlic from the pan and reserve for later. Put the sprout halves face down in the garlicky oil in the pan (be careful and watch out for spatters from the slightly damp sprouts) sprinkle on two or three tablespoons of pine nuts (or more - they're really good) and salt with my best pal, kosher salt (or plain table salt) add pepper if you like. Cook sprouts until browned on the cut (down) side.

Remove cooked sprouts from the pan and put face up on a plate. When all the sprouts are done and only pine nuts remain in the pan, add a splash more olive oil (or a tablespoon of butter if you're feeling decadent) and the reserved garlic for a quick final frying. Pour the garlicky, salty, pine-nutty oil over the brussels sprouts. Try to stop eating them. Good luck.

They happen to go very well with a julep. Go figure.