My mother always insisted on pearl onions for Thanksgiving, but no one really likes pearl onions “straight-up”.
When I found this recipe from Bon Appétit it seemed like a great combination.
Also perfect for Thanksgiving because you don’t need the oven.
Pearl Onions and Brussels Sprouts in Horseradish Cream
- 1 bag frozen pearl onions thawed
- 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half the long way
- 3 tablespoons horseradish (more to taste)
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice or nutmeg
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Cook the Brussels sprouts until just tender either in a microwave for 5 minutes, or boil them in salted water for about 6 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
Combine the horseradish, flour and allspice in a small bowl, mix well and whisk in the cream. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the thyme and stir 30 seconds. Add the onions and Brussels sprouts and saute until heated through, about 4 minutes.
Add the horseradish mixture, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cream is reduced to a glaze, coating the vegetables, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more horseradish if you like. Serve and enjoy!
My verdict:
This is a tried and true Thanksgiving hit! Even the non-pearl onion and/or Brussels sprouts haters often find themselves surprised by how good this is!
Besides not needing an oven, you can precook the Brussels sprouts and onions and set them aside. Ditto for the horseradish sauce. Then, just finish them before you’re ready to serve (about 5 minutes or until they’re warm).
True confession, much to my friend Zhu Zhu’s disgust, I always buy frozen pearl onions. They’re such a pain to peel and at Thanksgiving the last thing you need is to spend an hour peeling tiny onions. If you want to go the fresh route, blanch them and peel them (you might want to cook them first for a couple of minutes before adding the sprouts to the pan).
What’s a family Thanksgiving food tradition you’d like to change?
