Frisee with Hot Bacon Dressing

Frisee is a leafy green related to endive and chicory that has a slightly bitter flavor.  It's high is manganese and beta carotene, and it's super high in vitamin k.  I've long been a fan of its flavor, but not so much a fan of its texture, until I paired it with hot bacon dressing.  The heat of the dressing wilts and softens the frisee, and the sweet, tangy dressing compliments the bitter greens beautifully.  I hope you'll give this recipe a try.  Here's how it's made.

Start with frisee that has been washed, dried, and torn.  I was able to find both green and red frisee at my grocery store and I love the mix of colors so here I've put 6 ounces in a large bowl.

Next, I browned 6 ounces of thick bacon over medium heat.  I cut the bacon into bite-size pieces and cooked it, stirring frequently, until it was nice and toasty and most of the fat was rendered.  

Remove the cooked bacon from the rendered bacon fat (drippings); reserve the fat.

While the rendered fat is still hot, make the dressing.

Measure out some rendered bacon fat.  You probably won't use all the fat from the pan so pour the leftovers into a jar and store it in the fridge - we use it to saute vegetables, make eggs, etc.

Add red wine vinegar.  Oh how I love this stuff.

Add salt, pepper, and a touch of sugar.

Whisk everything together until the salt and sugar dissolve, then pour over the frisee and add the cooked bacon.  Toss well and serve immediately.

This salad is best served warm, so only make as much as you plan to serve in one sitting.  

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• my favorite measuring spoons https://amzn.to/2xUyAGL

• French whisk https://amzn.to/2Wnd9HM

---

Frisee with Hot Bacon Dressing

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 ounces frisee, washed, dried, and torn

• 6 ounces thickly sliced bacon, cut into bite-size pieces

• 2 tablespoons hot rendered bacon fat

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place frisee in a large bowl.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, brown bacon; remove from pan and reserve rendered fat.

3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together rendered bacon fat, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper; pour over frisee, add cooked bacon, toss well, and serve immediately.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts on the Stalk

We love Brussels sprouts in this house and it's so nice to see them gaining in popularity.  Gone are the days of boiled, soggy, overcooked sprouts.  Roasting is the key to making flavorful sprouts.  This time of year you can often find whole stalks available.  I grab them every time I see them.  I mean, just look at how fun they are!  The sprouts pop right off the stalk, but I thought it might be fun to roast them on the stalk this time.  Here's how I did it.

I placed the stalk of sprouts on a sheet pan that I use for roasting vegetables.  

I spritzed the entire stalk with olive oil spray and sprinkled all sides with kosher salt and pepper. Then I popped the pan into the center of a 400F oven. 

And here they are after 30 minutes.

I cut the individual sprouts off the stalk with a sharp knife (a small trimming knife that has a thin, sharp blade like this one is perfect for the job).

It's hard not to eat them as fast as they're cut off the stalk.

What did I do with the leftover stalk?  I chopped it up in the food processor and will feed it to my neighbor's chickens.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• olive oil sprayer https://amzn.to/3B5jpGY

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/34HN38V

• nonstick foil https://amzn.to/3gxNmG6

• my favorite little trimming knife https://amzn.to/3otorYz

---

Roasted Brussels Sprouts on the Stalk

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 18-inch stalk of brussels sprouts

• olive oil spray

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Spray brussels sprout stalk all over with olive oil spray, then sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over entire stalk.

3. Place on half sheet pan and roast on center rack for 30 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before cutting sprouts off stalk.

Notes

• Stalks that have sprouts that aren't touching one another work best.

• Sprouts that are packed close together are best removed from the stalk and cooked separately.

• For easy cleanup, line sheet pan with nonstick foil.