Maple-Cayenne Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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For the past several years at our home, some version of this side dish has appeared on the Thanksgiving table. The first couple of years, it was a popular recipe I had seen online at purewow.com, and I made it exactly as written, using honey and sriracha. The next year, I doubled the sriracha because my husband, Les, loves spicy so much. The year after that, I swapped out the honey in favor of maple syrup to keep it friendly to Les’s daughter, who adheres to the vegan lifestyle. What I love most about this recipe (besides the fact that Brussels sprouts are awesome and so good for you) is that it’s easily adaptable and it flies in the face of so many things people believe about their own tastes. This dish has been a winner with guests who don’t like Brussels sprouts, and also with people who don’t like the spicy nature of sriracha.

This year, in advance of Thanksgiving, I’ve been testing a few favorite recipes so that I can jot down the amounts and times that are appropriate for sharing. This has been one of the important challenges of doing a food blog—because I cook by instinct and memory, I don’t always know offhand how much of different ingredients I use or how long I cook them at whatever temperature. But a surprise popped up when I started working on my spicy Brussels sprouts for this post: our sriracha gave an odd aroma, and we realized it was almost a year out of date! Oops.

The saying goes that necessity is the mother of invention, and it’s certainly true in the kitchen, isn’t it? If I had a nickel for every time I made an emergency substitute, we could finally take the plunge on some new granite counters! But in this instance, the substitute was obvious to both of us—cayenne sauce would be the perfect stand-in for the sriracha. It’s mouthwatering, spicy and marries perfectly with maple syrup. If you’re looking to try something a little different this year, I hope you enjoy these.

You can see the caramelization on the cut sides of the sprouts, and the outer leaves are crispy and delicious!

Ingredients

Up to 2 lbs. fresh Brussels sprouts, rinsed, drained and patted dry

4 Tbsp. maple syrup

3 Tbsp. cayenne pepper sauce (we used Frank’s RedHot, of course!)

1/4 cup rice vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • Combine the syrup, vinegar and cayenne sauce, then quickly whisk in the oil to create an emulsion.
  • Fold the sprouts very gently, to avoid tearing off the delicate outer leaves.
  • They go into the oven, cut side down, for 20 minutes initially, then you’ll remove and toss them again.
  • The marinade gets absorbed into the layers of leaves on the sprouts, and a second toss in the sauce makes them even better.
  • A perfect blend of spicy and sweet.
  1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
  2. Trim the sprouts by using a sharp knife to make a thin slice off the bottoms. This will loosen the outer leaves, which you may discard. When all sprouts are trimmed, cut them into halves, lengthwise (top to bottom).
  3. In a large bowl, combine syrup, cayenne sauce, rice vinegar, salt and pepper. Stream in the olive oil gradually, whisking quickly to create an emulsion. Alternatively, add all the ingredients together in a jar with a tight lid and shake the dickens out of it.
  4. Immediately transfer the Brussels sprouts to the bowl with the marinade and gently fold to toss them, taking care to coat every side of the sprouts.
  5. Arrange the sprouts, cut side down, onto the prepared baking sheet. Keep a little room between the sprouts to ensure even roasting. Do not discard the marinade.
  6. Roast for 20 minutes, then remove the baking sheet and toss the sprouts once again in the marinade. Return them to the baking sheet (direction does not matter) and back into the oven for 5 additional minutes.

The sprouts emerge from the oven with fragrant, crispy edges and tender, caramelized interior from all the marinade that weeps into the creases between leaves. These are best served right away, but for the sake of sanity on Thanksgiving, you may also make them ahead and warm them up in time for dinner. The sprouts will lose the crispiness, of course, but you will still love the flavor.

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Thanksgiving Mini Meatloaf

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Thanksgiving will be different for a lot of folks this year. Sure, some percentage will press on with their big gatherings, but between the pandemic, travel restrictions and general upheaval and uncertainty, many more of us (my husband and me included) will have lots of extra space at the table, and the menu will either be smaller, less elaborate or altogether different.

At our house, we have already opted for experimentation and wild cards with our menu. This will be the year we do a bourbon brine, or smoke a turkey breast or whip up a venison sausage dressing. I’ll be taking creative liberty with the side dishes, too, because, well, why not?

Over the next week, I’ll be sharing plenty of recipes—twists as well as classics from our personal recipe playbook. In the midst of the excitement, I’m also having fun creating new ways to enjoy the flavors that are so traditional for Thanksgiving, even if the dishes aren’t. If you missed the savory sausage mac and cheese baked in a pumpkin, you’ll definitely want to go check that out. It’s as tasty as it is pretty!

Today, I’m whipping up a batch of miniature meatloaves that have all the same flavors you’d expect for Thanksgiving. These little minis have a base of seasoned ground turkey, blended with sage stuffing mix and onions, a middle layer of sautéed kale and onions with mushroom seasoning, and a rich and fluffy top layer of Yukon gold and sweet potatoes. They’re conveniently portioned for sharing or freezing, and if you don’t have a mini loaf pan, you can make them instead in a regular or jumbo muffin tin.

Each bite of mini meatloaf delivers the Thanksgiving flavor that I’ve been craving every day since the beginning of November. Best of all, these are a snap to make, and they are ready for the oven in less than an hour.

Every bite has a perfect balance of moist, tender meatloaf, savory hearty greens and soft sweet potato.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned dry stuffing mix

1/4 cup whole milk

Extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped and divided between layers

2 fat handfuls washed kale leaves, chopped (heavy stems removed)* (see notes)

1 tsp. Umami seasoning (powdered mushroom flavor from Trader Joe’s)*

1 large sweet potato, scrubbed clean and baked*

2 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 egg white

1/4 cup grated parm-romano blend

1 lb. ground turkey*

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

2 Tbsp. chopped sun-dried tomatoes

*Notes

I had a big bag of kale already in the fridge, but if you prefer, you could substitute spinach. I think shredded brussels sprouts would also be excellent here.

Can’t get your hands on the umami seasoning? No problem. Chop up a few mushrooms very fine and toss them into the skillet ahead of the kale, to give them time to sweat out their moisture.

I’ve listed the sweet potato as “baked” because I had one leftover. If you prefer, cut up the sweet potato and cook on the stovetop along with the Yukon golds.

If you opt for ground turkey breast, the mixture may be a bit drier than regular ground turkey. Consider adding a drizzle of olive oil to the meat mixture to make up the moisture difference.

Instructions

  • Give the dry stuffing mix at least 20 minutes to absorb the cold milk. This “paste” mixture will be a binder for the meatloaf, and lend a distinctive Thanksgiving flavor.
  • An egg white helps the potatoes remain moist during baking. The parm-romano blend adds a savory balance.
  • I seasoned the onions with a few shakes of poultry seasoning.
  • This umami blend is so delicious! If you can’t get it, substitute with some finely chopped mushrooms and a little garlic powder.
  • The turkey mixture is very soft, and mixes easily with a spoon.
  • The turkey layer should be the thickest. I filled the cups up to the halfway mark.
  • Divvy up the kale mixture over the turkey, and use a fork to lightly compress the layers.
  • Evenly layer the Yukon gold-sweet potato mixture on top, and be sure to spread it to the edges of your muffin or loaf cavities.
  • I used the tines of my fork to make lines on top of the potato, and one last twist of freshly ground pepper before baking.
  • The egg white in the potatoes contributes to the puffiness on top.
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the dry stuffing mix with the milk and allow it to rest a bit. Stir the mixture occasionally to ensure all liquid gets absorbed and the mixture becomes paste-like.
  3. Place cut-up potatoes in a medium pot and boil gently over medium heat until they are just barely fork tender. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Add butter, egg white, parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
  4. While potatoes cook, place a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and sauté half of the chopped onions until softened and somewhat translucent. Season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
  5. Remove half of the cooked onions to a large bowl, along with the raw ground turkey. Add egg, sun-dried tomatoes, stuffing paste, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then set aside.
  6. To the same onion skillet, add the chopped kale and sauté (use a bit more oil if needed) until kale is wilted and softened. Sprinkle with umami mushroom seasoning and stir to blend.
  7. Time to assemble the mini meatloaves! Spray the cups of your mini pan with olive oil spray, then fill each cavity about halfway with the turkey mixture. Press down with a fork or spoon to ensure the meat is packed thoroughly to the edges. Next, divide the kale mixture over the turkey layer, and press down again. Finally, top the loaves with the mashed potato mixture.
  8. Press the potato mixture with the tines of a fork to leave lines on top.
  9. Bake the meatloaves for 35-45 minutes (depending on the size of your mini pan cavities—for muffin tins, check doneness after 35 minutes. My meatloaf pan had cavities for 8 mini loaves and it took 45 minutes).
Just these, and a little dab of cranberry relish, and you’d have a complete Thanksgiving mini-meal! 🙂

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