Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes with Maple

mapleroastedsproutssweetpotatoes Roasting Brussels sprouts with maple syrup, bacon and sweet potatoes transforms them into a perfectly caramelized, savoury-sweet side dish.

3-4 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
¾ cups pecans, rough chopped
¾ cups dried cranberries
¾ medium onion, thinly sliced
6 slices extra lean duck or turkey bacon
4 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
3-4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Thinly slice the onion. Trim the Brussels sprouts and cut up the sweet potato. If you’re using pork bacon, render a lot of the fat from the bacon.

This can be done the day before you cook it. Let the rendered bacon cool and place it on top of the vegetables in an airtight container.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Add all of the ingredients except bacon in a large bowl. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup. Spread the ingredients out in a single layer.

Place a cooling rack on top of the vegetables. Arrange the rendered bacon on top of the vegetables. The remaining will fall onto the vegetables and impart them with the bacon flavour.

Roast the vegetables for 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, Move the bacon off of the vegetables and flip them with a spatula. Flip the bacon over.

Return the roasting pan to the oven and continue roasting for another 10 minutes. Check the bacon halfway through to see if it is crisped. If so, remove it.

Check the vegetables for tenderness. If they are tender to your liking, they are done; if not, flip again and continue roasting until they are done to your liking. They usually take about 40 minutes in total.

Cook's Notes:

If using pork bacon, render some of the fat out of the bacon first, in a separate skillet.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.