One of the great things about living near a place like Washington D.C. is the proximity to great restaurants.  That’s the theory at least.  As a busy parent, I’ve found that great restaurants are wonderful only if I can overcome the inertia of the “I’m too tired to drive that far for a meal no matter how good it is” mindset that afflicts me most weekends.

Fortunately, one Saturday night a few months ago I managed to overcome my inertia and found myself at a darling of the D.C. restaurant scene, Proof.  Now, don’t misinterpret what I’m about to divulge – I absolutely loved the meal I had that evening.  I’m sure there was a salad or soup to start, followed most likely by a steak (medium rare, please) as the main course.   But the dish I actually remember eating by name was – wait for it –
a salad of shaved Brussels sprouts.

Yes, I know.  That’s probably not the revelation you were expecting.  But hear me out.

Like many people, I used to detest Brussels sprouts.  It is true that they have an abundance of natural substances that help the body detoxify itself, eliminate inflammation, and remove excess cholesterol, all of which make them nutritionally worth eating.  These benefits, however, were never enough to outweigh their bitter taste and sodden, mushy texture.  Worst of all, Brussels sprouts always announced themselves by the smelly, sulfuric odor that would begin to waft though the house as the dinner hour approached.

Yes, Brussels sprouts were best avoided.  But then I learned that the last thing you want to do is boil a Brussels sprout.  Exposing a Brussels sprout to heat liberates chemical compounds that cause that familiar sulfuric smell, and the longer the exposure, the more of these compounds are released.  Further, when boiling is the source of this added heat, it’s easy to overcook them, particularly when the Brussels sprouts are different sizes (since cooking the larger ones to perfection using means overcooking the smaller ones).  Boiling them to excess also causes them to become waterlogged and mushy.

So the key in preparing Brussels sprouts that you would actually want to eat is either to use cooking methods that make it harder to overcook them (such as halving and roasting them or sautéing the leaves) or simply not cooking them at all.  The latter is the method of choice, if you will, for my salad.

I start by slicing off the ends of a pound of Brussel sprouts and then peeling off and discarding the outer leaves.  I slice each trimmed sprout as thinly as possible using either the slicing blade of a food processor or a very sharp knife, and then I toss the resulting mixture of shredded outer leaves and slice of inner cores in an apple cider-based vinaigrette.  After letting the mixture sit for 10 minutes (in order to allow the sprout pieces to absorb the vinegar, which mellows their raw cabbage-like flavor) I add some chopped walnuts and shredded Pecorino Romano cheese.

The end result is a surprisingly delicious salad that is easy enough to make at home but tasty enough to be served in a top restaurant.  Who knew?