This is by far the best way to cook your sprouts, and it happens to also be the easiest! Slightly blackened sprouts with crispy chestnuts combine beautifully with the dressing, which adds a savoury umami flavour without taking away the natural flavours of the main ingredients. Delicious!
First prep the sprouts. The easiest way to do this is to cut off the base, then pull off the outer leaves with the base.
350 g brussels sprouts
Next prep the chestnuts. They will either be in a tin or a vacuum pack (unless you choose to cook them yourselves - in which case, hat's off to you, it's a fiddly job to peel them!). Either way, drain and rinse the chestnuts, then pat dry with a clean tea towel. They should easily break in half by pressing down with your fingers, or cut in half with a knife if you prefer.
150 g cooked chestnuts
Place the sprouts and chestnuts into a roasting tin with the olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Mix them all together to ensure they are evenly coated with oil. Then roast in the oven for ½ hour at 200°C. (or 180°C is fine too – if you’re doing a big meal and your oven is already at that temperature). Stir half way through roasting time and turn the sprouts so that they are evenly browned.
350 g brussels sprouts, 150 g cooked chestnuts, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper
Meanwhile, mix the dressing ingredients in a cup. When the sprouts are cooked, pour the dressing over the sprouts and chestnuts and stir together.
½ teaspoon tamari, ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil, ¼ teaspoon maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke