Canadian Thanksgiving is long gone but autumn is, nonetheless, still upon us. With American Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon, I thought I’d share my recipe for this Warm Sautéed Brussels Sprouts & Fennel Seed Salad with Yams.
It’s a side dish I made on Thanksgiving this year, and it was delightful. I didn’t grow up a Brussels sprouts lover, as is the case for most people; but recent crisped-up inventions all over the internet have me in love these past few years!
Brussels sprouts undoubtedly have that bitter flavour we all either love or hate. When crisped, I find that flavour to be mildly enhanced, but in a really good way. Browning these little green cuties caramelizes all the edges, which is never a bad thing! Even with this added almost-sweetness I was craving a little more complexity and counter-balancing of flavours. And by craving, I mean I was dreaming up this recipe a few weeks before I made it. I had a gut intuition that it would just work. In the end I decided on bunching up all classic Thanksgiving flavours to create the perfect dish for the holidays.
I’m talking yams, cranberries and Brussels sprouts all in one bite, further enhanced with fennel seeds and pistachios. Originally the inspiration for this dish came with a craving to pair up Brussels sprouts and fennel seeds. (BTW, yes I am having an obsession with fennel seeds at the moment, hence my last post for Gulgule, or vegan Indian donut holes!) They compliment each other’s flavour notes so beautifully; and the added touch of sweetness from the yams and tart cranberries REALLY work so well to create the most well-rounded combo of flavours I’ve cooked up in recent memory. You can also interchange the yams with sweet potatoes; or half and half would be so fun, too! Also, did I mention this is vegan? And super simple to make?!
Let me know if you try this recipe for Warm Sautéed Brussels Sprouts & Fennel Seed Salad with Yams. It’s great for the holidays, or simply anytime during the season. It’s the perfect side dish for your dinner table. And might I add — it makes the best leftover hash for the morning after with a crispy fried egg on top. Drool.
Warm Sautéed Brussels Sprouts & Fennel Seed Salad with Yams
Makes enough as a side dish for 4-5 people
Ingredients:
- 1 medium-large yam (or sweet potato), peeled and cubed
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 20 (or so) Brussels sprouts, roughly sliced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 TSP fennel seeds (or to taste), roughly crushed
- A few handfuls of dried unsweetened cranberries
- Salt & pepper
- A handful of pistachios, toasted and chopped
Directions:
- Parboil cubed yams for about 8-10 minutes, or until they’re just beginning to become tender (yet still hold their shape well).
- Once done, remove yams from the water and add them to a large skillet on medium heat with some oil and a pinch of salt. Cook until they begin to get crispy, making sure not to over-cook so that they don’t become mushy (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from pan, and set aside.
- In the same pan on medium-high heat, sauté the sliced red onion for 2-3 minutes. Add the sliced Brussels sprouts and cook until they crisp up with some good colour on them.
- Once the Brussels sprouts are browned, add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add crushed fennel seeds, along with salt & pepper to taste. Cook for 1-2 more minutes.
- Lastly, add the dried cranberries and the yams back into the pan. Stir through gently (to prevent breaking the yams) so all the ingredients are mixed through. Cook for a few minutes so all the flavours get to know each other.
- Add everything to a large baking dish, and bake at 425°F for about 10 minutes. Stir through and broil for a couple minutes (depending on your oven) to further crisp everything up. Serve with toasted pistachios sprinkled on top. Enjoy!