Burnt Maple Brussels Sprouts - Healthy Recipe Ecstasy (2024)

So much has been going on in my life, I completely forgot to tell you guys that POPSUGAR Food named me food blogger of the weekon Valentine’s Day. Isn’t that exciting?? You know what’s even more exciting? POPSUGAR Now is officially on TV! Set your dialto TVGN every weeknight at 6 p.m. (5 p.m. Central) to catch all the action.POPSUGAR Now willbe coming to you fromits studios in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, bringing viewers celebrity news, fashion, and lifestyle content throughout the award season.The amazing POPSUGAR reporters and hostswill be behind the scenes and reporting from the action at all the biggest award season eventsand showing you how to eat, drink, exercise, and stay connected like the stars. Get your DVRs prepped!

You know what’s great to eatwhen watching TV? Yes, popcorn, always popcorn. And chips, always chips. But what aboutburnt maple Brussels sprouts? Don’t laugh. I know I’m suggesting you put down your popcorn and chipsand treat yourself to an overcooked vegetable. I get that sounds crazy…and weird. But I like weird food. 🙂

But theseburnt sprouts are so good and interestingthat you wont miss the popcorn and chips.They’re a little bit crispy (like chips),a little bit chewy, a little bit salty, a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, a little bit burnt, a little bit caramelized, and a whole lotta flavor.

This recipe is inspired by the best sproutsin D.C. which is a high honor since, over the past few years, the Brussels sprout has basically become D.C.’s token vegetable. Every restaurant hasthe mini cabbagefront and center on the menu andevery sprout dish Ieat is more amazing than the last.Whether they’re crispy,rolling with some bacon, or topped with a creamy aioli, D.C. sprouts are all the rage, and I’ve tasted my fair share. That’s why, when I read that DCity Smokehouse boasted the best sprouts in D.C., I was skeptical that one sprout dish – and a vegetarian sprout dish at that – could rise above the rest, but, it did. It was smoky, sweet, spicy and crispy all in one bite. We’re talking so addictive that I practically ignored the ribs and hushpuppies and just focused on shoveling crispy sprout leaves in my mouth.

The chef at DCity usessome secret combo of brown sugar and spicesand shaves each sprout thin usinga mandolin slicer, and, then, flash fries them. The texture is so perfectly crispy, I knew I’d never be able to replicate them perfectly at home, but that didn’t stop me from trying. My first attempt resulted in sprouts that were more chewy than crispy. My second attempt, as you see here, resulted in amixof chewy sprouts and crispy burnt sprout leaves thatlooked a little, um,worrisome, but tasted surprisingly AWESOME. Alasdair’s reaction was, and I quote: “These are the sh*t. This is one of your best recipes ever.” You know those pieces of cheese that sometimes escape the bread when you’refrying upa grilled cheese and stick to the pan and becomesinfully crispy and burned? And you know how those aresometimesthe best part of the grilled cheese? That’s what these sprouts are like. Now, imagine dipping the sprout version of that burnt cheese into some perfectly sweet maple syrup. The two are like long lost lovers. Add the sea salt and it’s like ménage-a-sprout.

Seriously. My sprouts want to dive head first into a tub of maple syrup (which at DCity was actually meant for the hushpuppies but I deemed just right for the sprouts and then promptly told the owner that’s how he should serve them from now on) before jumping into my mouth on the way to their final resting place – a nice cozy corner of my belly. Of course, by tub, I mean a tiny, appropriately sized cup with a moderate amount of the sugary stuff in it. We don’t want to go overboard after all and make our healthy gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian vegetable treat so-not-healthy. So, here’s to POPSUGAR Now, Brussels sprouts, maple syrup, and unusual TV snacks. 🙂

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by POPSUGAR. While I was compensated to write a post about POPSUGAR Now, all opinions are my own.