Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Brussels Sprouts Gratin Decadent Brussels sprouts, bathed in heavy cream and covered with cheese, are a great side dish for a celebration meal.

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• Ingredients
• How to make Brussels Sprouts Gratin
• Substitutions
• Make ahead
• Scaling
• Brussels Sprouts Gratin
• Related Posts
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I was shocked. Brussels sprouts were the surprise hit of Thanksgiving dinner.
Brussels sprouts are controversial in my wife's family - none of her siblings will eat them, but they were there, reaching for seconds. After dinner, the requests all started: "I don't like Brussels sprouts, but…can I have the recipe?"
I almost skipped Brussels sprouts, knowing how unpopular they are with my in-laws. I was looking for a make-ahead side dish when I saw Kenji Alt's Over the Top Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin. It looked too good to pass up. (I figured if they don't eat them, great! More sprouts for me.) I followed Kenji's basic technique but left out the bacon because some of my guests are vegetarians.
Now, you may be thinking: Brussels sprouts? Vegetarian? What, are you serving health food? No. These are rich, decadent sprouts, bathed in heavy cream and covered with cheese. They are a great side dish for a celebration meal.
If you're looking for weeknight sprouts, use shaved Brussels sprouts in my basic Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts Sauté recipe or my fancy Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Honey recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, plus more for the baking dish.
• 1.5 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 ounces shredded Fontina cheese (or an Italian shredded cheese blend)

How to make Brussels Sprouts Gratin

1. Sauté the Brussels sprouts and reduce the cream

Turn the oven to 425°F. Melt the butter in a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and sprinkle with salt. Saute the Brussels sprouts, stirring often, until they are browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Pour the cream into the pan and simmer, occasionally scraping the bottom, until the cream thickens and the bubbles start stacking up on themselves, about 5 more minutes. 

2. Prep the baking dish

Butter the inside of the baking dish. Pour the sprouts and cream into the baking dish and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

3. Bake and brown the gratin

Put the baking dish in the oven and bake until bubbling and the cheese is melted and browning, about 15 minutes.

Substitutions

• Other cheese: In the original recipe, Kenji recommends Emmental cheese, which is traditional for a French gratin. It's a fantastic cheese, but it is expensive in my local grocery stores, so I substituted a blend of shredded Italian cheese that includes Fontina and Asiago. A sharp cheddar or a cheddar jack blend would also be good.
• Want bacon? If you're not cooking for vegetarians, halve the butter in the recipe and add a quarter pound of bacon cut into thin strips. In the first step, cook the bacon instead of melting the butter. When the bacon is browned, remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat behind in the pan as possible. Melt the butter in the bacon fat and continue with the recipe, stirring the bacon back in right before pouring the sprouts into the baking dish.
• Frozen Brussels sprouts: I got this question from a reader, and yes, you can use frozen Brussels sprouts. They won't be as good as fresh sprouts, but the cheese and cream carry a lot of flavor, so you won't notice unless you cook them head-to-head. Get frozen halved sprouts if you can. In the sauté step, turn the heat down to medium and put the frozen sprouts straight into the pan. It will take a little longer to brown them - about 10 minutes - then continue the recipe as written.
• Less rich: If you want a less rich version of this dish, use milk instead of cream, or skip the cream altogether. Also, you can cut back on the cheese - use half the cheese.

Equipment

• 2-quart baking dish (either a 12-inch oval dish or an [8-inch square dish][Square)

Make ahead

For me, the key to this recipe was how easy it was to make ahead. Finish through step 2-put everything in the buttered baking dish, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When you need the sprouts, remove the plastic wrap and continue with step 3. The cooking time will be closer to 20 minutes because it will take a little extra time to warm up the cold sprouts and dish.

Reheating

This recipe also reheats well - cook it all the way through, then warm it in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is soft and warm.

Scaling

You can double the recipe by doubling all the ingredients. There will be too many sprouts to fit in the fry pan, so switch the sauté and simmer step to a Dutch oven, or do it in two batches, wiping out the pan after each batch. Use a 3-quart baking dish to fit all the extra sprouts.

Adapted From: Over The Top Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin, Kenji Alt, SeriousEats.com

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