Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

End of May. Memorial Day. We did a small cookout — Hannah and me, Caleb and Miriam, Lily and Ben, Quoy. Seven people. Smoked ribs. Bean bread. Wild onion eggs. The leftovers continued from the wedding into the regular life. The transition between special-occasion food and regular food has been seamless.

The asparagus is still going. I made an asparagus tart Tuesday with eggs and goat cheese on a sourdough crust. Hannah said: this is fancy. I said: I learned it from a cookbook. She said: keep that cookbook. I said: I will.

The garden is in full early-summer mode. The tomatoes went in last week. The peppers will go in this week. The Three Sisters bed will go in next week. The herbs are full. The strawberries are starting to ripen. The pawpaws have set fruit. The persimmons have set fruit.

The cohort's last week of the spring semester. Final projects in. Friday's graduation went well. The 58-year-old's tree sculpture was installed at her mother's grave the week before. She showed me a picture. The tree was on a small rise at the head of a stone marker. It looked like it had grown there. She said: thank you. I said: you welded it. She said: you taught me. I said: you waited forty years and we're even.

Sunday I spent with Hannah. We walked the property. We talked about the food forest plans for next year — additional plantings she's been thinking about, a new bed for native medicinals. The conversation was specific and slow. The conversation was the kind of conversation we have been having on Sunday afternoons for nine years now. The Sunday afternoon conversation is the spine of our week. The spine is intact.

The asparagus tart got Hannah’s attention, but it’s the quieter vegetables — the ones that just need heat and good oil and a little time — that carry the week. After a cookout like that one, with smoked ribs and bean bread and a garden that’s already pressing toward summer, I keep coming back to this Brussels sprouts recipe: garlic, a hot oven, not much else. It fits the same philosophy as everything else we cooked this week — honest ingredients, no performance, just good food that holds up alongside whatever else is on the table.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (optional, for finishing)

Instructions

Preheat. Heat your oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment or leave it bare for better browning.
Prep the sprouts. Trim the stem ends and peel away any yellowed outer leaves. Halve each sprout through the stem so they lie flat — flat sides down means more surface contact with the pan and better caramelization.
Toss. In a large bowl, combine the halved sprouts with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Toss well so every cut surface is coated.
Arrange. Spread the sprouts cut-side down in a single layer on the baking sheet. Do not crowd them — use two sheets if needed. Crowding steams instead of roasts.
Roast. Roast for 20–25 minutes, until the cut sides are deep golden brown and the outer leaves are crispy. Resist the urge to stir before the 20-minute mark.
Finish. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with lemon juice. Toss gently. Taste and adjust salt. Finish with Parmesan if you like, and serve hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts — From the Garden to the Table, the Way It Should Be