We had a hankering for a burger the other night, but we also had a fresh basket of brussel sprouts from the farmer's market. Odd pairing, but it was pretty slammin' if I do say so myself. The burgers were my old-standby of worcestershire and oregano, topped with provolone cheese which, by the way, is my new favorite cheese when melted on a burger. And while the burgers were solid, this post is more about the brussel sprouts.

I've been making these sprouts for at least 5 years now and I think they'll turn any sprout-hater into a sprout-lover. At least they did for me. I used to seriously hate these things... I think more than anything it was a leftover reaction from my childhood association of mushy, stinky, brussel sprouts from the frozen isle of our local Roche Brothers grocery. But this method adds a nice browned/caramelized flavor while retaining a little crunch of the original fresh sprout. Slicing the sprouts in half and cooking them in a garlic scented butter/olive-oil is the secret, and it works every time. Here's my approach:

• 2 cups fresh brussel sprouts (roughly the same size if possible)
• 1 clove of garlic, smashed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt to taste

Process:

• Wash the sprouts, and slice off the butt-end for a fresh end. Discard brussel butts.
• Slice each sprout in half lengthwise so you have mirror-image sprout halves.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
• Add the garlic and stir around the pan for about a minute; remove and discard the garlic.
• Add the sprouts to the pan one-by-one, cut-side down.
• Cook, uncovered for 10-15 minutes depending on how large your sprouts are.
• Check at 10 minutes to see if they have browned nicely on the cut-side, and are also slightly soft when pierced with a fork. Often times I need to go the full 15 minutes, but i always check at 10. 
• If they seem browned well to the point of not wanting to go darker, but are still hard, cover them tightly and remove from the heat... they should soften right up in a few minutes.
• Toss with a couple dashes of salt to taste (i love sea salt here), and serve immediately.