Rachel's PanceTaterSprouts

Ingredients:

1/4lb pancetta or bacon, diced

Sprigs of Herbs (anything you would find in Herbes de Provence, especially thyme)

Olive oil

~16 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered

2 medium to large sweet potatoes, chopped to one-inch chunks

Pepper

Balsamic vinegar or balsamic reduction

Parmesan, grated

Process:

Preheat oven to 375

Put cast iron pan on medium heat (or around 4 on an electric range)

Since there isn't a ton of prep, I sometimes chop the sprouts and sweet potatoes while the pan preheats

When the pan is hot, add your pancetta and sprigs of thyme

Sautee until somewhat crispy, just a couple minutes

Add maybe two tablespoons of olive oil and continue to sautée until olive oil is hot - this should take less than a minute

Add vegetables and pepper and toss/stir around so that everything is coated in oil

Put the whole pan into the oven

Let cook for 20 minutes if the veggies are piled up, 15 minutes if in a single layer

Open oven and toss veggies so that different parts get crispy, and raise heat to 425

Cook an additional 10 minutes for piled up veggies, 5 minutes for a single layer

Remove from oven

Drizzle with balsamic and toss with parmesan

NOM NOM NOM

Heads up, this works great with pork (especially a chop or roast) and nicely with beef but tends to overwhelm fish or chicken. You can also crack a couple eggs on top towards the end of cooking and serve with cheddar instead of parmesan and balsamic. Then it's a one-pot meal.

-- Rachel Popham