with Burnt Almonds
HANDS-ON TIME
25 MIN
TOTAL TIME
40 MIN
Serves 4 to 6
Have I told you already how much I love Brussels sprouts? Probably. But let me put in a plug for pearl onions, too. I think most of us have only ever had the frozen ones, possibly at a grandmother’s house, probably not by choice. Totally old school. I’m not going to lie: I love frozen pearl onions. But for the recipe below, I highly recommend using fresh ones because their texture can’t be beat. When shopping, look for the red ones—they’re my favorite—and try to buy them peeled if you can. If not, this recipe has a tip for peeling them pretty easily.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the almonds and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds to a paper towel–lined plate to drain and cool, then coarsely chop. Leave the oil in the skillet.
In the same skillet, melt the butter in the reserved oil over medium-high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook, undisturbed, until browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, thyme sprigs, and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is coated in the oil and sizzling, about 2 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the Brussels sprouts and onions are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
TIP Trim off just the root end of the pearl onions. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the onions and blanch them until the skins just start to wrinkle, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to the ice water to cool, then pinch them out of their skins.