Sprouts with Bacon & Chestnuts
on whipped ricotta with cranberry drizzle
Crispy sprouts cooked in pancetta fat, buttery chestnuts and thyme, all piled over slightly sweetened whipped ricotta and finished with warm cranberry sauce. Rich, salty, creamy and festive — the perfect small plate or Christmas side. It’s also super easy and can be prepared in advance.
Serves 4 as a side
P.s. This is Day 6 of my ‘12 Days of Sproutmas’ series on socials!
Tips & Tricks
Make ahead: You can prep the ricotta in advance and store it in the fridge. You can also prep the sprouts etc and just warm it through on the day.
Whipped ricotta: Blending then chilling allows it to firm up again, but you can skip this step if needed - the texture will just be runnier.
Ingredients.
150g / ⅔ cup ricotta
1 tbsp / 15ml extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp / 2g honey
Zest of half a lemon
300g / 3 cups Brussels sprouts
100g / 3½ oz pancetta, or smoked lardons
90g / 3 oz cooked chestnuts, like these vacuum packed ones
50g / 3 tbsp butter
1 tsp dried thyme, or a few sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbsp / 40g cranberry sauce
Salt
Equipment.
sharp knife & chopping board
frying pan/skillet/sauté pan
blender/food processor
Method.
Add the ricotta, olive oil, lemon zest, salt and honey to a blender (or food processor) and blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate to firm up while you cook the rest.
Halve the sprouts and roughly chop the chestnuts.
Heat a frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the pancetta to the dry, hot pan and cook for 3 minutes, until it releases its fat.
Add the halved sprouts to the pancetta fat and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until charred in places.
Add the butter, chestnuts and thyme and cook for another few minutes.
Add a splash of water to deglaze the pan and help the sprouts cook through for another 5 minutes, or until everything is glossy and well coated, and the sprouts are al-dente
Warm the cranberry sauce until just loosened.
Spread the whipped ricotta onto a serving plate. Spoon over the sprouts, pancetta and chestnuts, and drizzle with the warm cranberry sauce. Serve immediately.
