Brussel sprouts have a bit of a reputation for being bland and boiled but wait until you've roasted them. They don't take long to roast in the oven and become crispy, crunchy chunks of delicious green goodness. This is a great salad to make after the festive period as a way of using up any leftover sprouts, it’s perfect served on cold evenings with a stew or even on its own with a can of lentils mixed though. The crispy kale and sprouts taste amazing with the toasted walnuts and creamy pesto dressing bringing everything together. If you don't have any pesto, you can replace it with some Dijon mustard in the dressing instead, it still tastes amazing.
Serves 4 & takes 30 minutes to cook
Ingredients
For the salad
500g Brussel sprouts, roughly chopped (we cut each into about 4)
1 large bag of kale, roughly chopped
Large handful of walnuts, roughly chopped
Olive oil
Salt
For the dressing
100g creme fraiche
100g fresh pesto (or shop bought if not possible)
2 teaspoons of maple syrup (or honey)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
50g grated pecorino (or parmesan), plus more for the top
Pinch of salt
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C, fan setting.
2. Place the chopped Brussel sprouts into a large baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt, mix well before baking for 10 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes, remove the baking tray from the oven, mix through the chopped kale and walnuts, place back in the oven and roast for 5-10 more minutes, or until the kale turns crispy.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, place all of the dressing ingredients into a bowl and mix well until a smooth dressing forms.
5. Once the vegetables are cooked, remove from the oven and spoon into a large mixing bowl.
6. Spoon in the dressing and mix really well until everything is coated.
