Brussels Sprouts Salad
Brussels sprouts have become my go-to side for fall cookouts, with good evidence of that from the seven different recipes already represented on this site. Last fall I thought maybe I should give them and rest and look to something else but I love brussels so much that the draw was too strong to escape, so y'all get yet another delicious side in these grilled and raw brussels sprouts salad.
Brussels sprouts were once a despised side for me, but that changed a long time ago when I first had sprouts that were roasted until tender and deeply browned. I haven't looked back since I learned how amazing sprouts can be, but at the same time, I've never changed up my method because I'm always after that delicious roasted flavor. So while I chose to do another recipe along those lines, I did stop and think of what I could do different and decided to make this one feature both raw and grilled brussels sprouts.
I opted to roast about two-thirds of sprouts, which I prepped by halving, removing any loose leaves, and then tossing with oil, salt, and pepper. The remaining third of the sprouts I very thinly sliced, cutting them as narrowly as I could without feeling like I was going slice off a finger while doing so.
I noticed a lot of my brussels sprouts recipes feature a mustard dressing since the two naturally go really well together. I still wanted a little mustard in the recipe here but I veered away a bit with a more standard vinaigrette using olive oil and sherry vinegar as a base that was sweetened with maple syrup and got the additional elements of Dijon mustard, shallots, and black pepper.
To grill the sprouts, I placed them over the cool side of a two-zone fire, which is when all the coals are arranged on one side of the charcoal grate. I then covered and let them roast until well browned. The majority were golden with crisp edges after twenty minutes of cooking, and the few that didn't have those characteristics quite yet, I moved over to direct heat for a short time to get some browning on them.
The sprouts did shrink a fair amount and when I combined them with the raw ones, the balance felt off to me. So I didn't end up using all the raw brussels and adjusted the recipe accordingly to roast three-quarters instead of two-thirds. I then added in the dressing along with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, and slivers of ricotta salata and gently tossed everything until well distributed.
I know I have a lot of brussels sprouts recipes, but this salad only solidified that you can't have too much of a good thing. It had that grill-roasted flavor I'm very fond of, but the salad did depart in pretty meaningful ways from my previous recipes. The raw sprouts definitely added a fresh element with a different type of crunch that made it immediately taste unique from every other brussels sprouts recipe I've done. The tangy and slightly sweet dressing was also a good change-up and had a very fall feel to it that was added to by the cranberries and nuts. I really liked the ricotta salata for the saltiness it brought to the party without a overly distracting flavor—originally I was going to use the easier to procure feta, but that would have stood out more. Now that I have an eighth brussels sprouts recipe here I'll finally look to something else as a grilled veggie side this fall, but I'm also sure there's still more new and delicious things I can squeeze out of one of my favorite veggies.
