Brussels Sprouts Gratin
So you’ve got your Christmas bubble sorted for the 23rd – 27th December. Whether you’re hosting the whole three days or you need to bring a dish, a quick and easy Christmas-feeling recipe is always good to have up your sleeve.
We found this recipe for Brussels Sprouts Gratin last year. It’s basically like cauliflower cheese but with brussels sprouts, so it was a firm favourite with kids and adults alike.
The full recipe and method are just below.
Serves 4 adults.
INGREDIENTS
500g brussels sprouts washed, trimmed and cut into quarters.
For the cheese sauce:
• 300ml whole milk
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• A few black peppercorns
• 25g unsalted butter
• 25g plain flour
• 100g cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper
For the topping:
• 30g cheddar cheese, grated
• 30g fairly coarse breadcrumbs (approx. 2 slices of bread)
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 190℃
2. For the sauce, put the milk in a saucepan with the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring to just below the boil, remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for half an hour.
3. In the meantime, wash, trim and cut the sprouts into quarters. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, drop in the sprouts and once the water returns to a simmer, cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and drain.
4. Strain the milk and discard the flavourings. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the flour and cook, stirring over a low heat for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and add a splash of the warm milk and beat with a whisk to form a smooth paste. Slowly add the rest of the milk whilst whisking and you should end up with a smooth sauce. This part can get messy so we suggest you wear an apron! Return the sauce to the heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring. Cook for a couple of minutes continuing to stir so the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and add the grated cheese and mustard.
5. Add the cooked sprouts to the sauce, stirring well so the sprouts and sauce are well combined.
6. Spoon the mix into an ovenproof dish and spread it out so that it is evenly distributed.
7. Mix the grated cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top.
8. Bake in the over for 25 minutes, until golden brown.
9. Serve and enjoy!
