Brussels sprout and potato bake

We don't traditionally eat sprouts in my family at Christmas, as they don't really belong to the Finnish Christmas vegetables. Things are different here in England though, sprouts are considered to be very much Christmas vegetables. I wouldn't mind having them anytime though, and I'm planning to possibly adding them to this year's nut roast, maybe shredded. But that will remain to be seen, as I haven't fully decided on the nut roast yet. But even this Brussels sprout and potato bake could be a nice addition to a festive meal, or served outside the holidays as a stand-alone dish.

Here's how I made this bake.

Ingredients

500 g miniature potatoes

550 g brussels sprouts

3 shallots

3 garlic cloves

1 tbsp hazelnut oil

50 ml dry cider

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

Ground black pepper to taste

Ground nutmeg to taste

300 ml vegetable stock

250 g cheddar and mozzarella mix

3 spring onions

Method

Clean the potatoes and sprouts and cut them in half. If you are using a bit bigger potatoes, cut them into even smaller chunks.

Chop the shallots and garlic finely and cook them soft in the hazelnut oil. Add the sprouts and potatoes to the pan. Then also add the dry cider, rosemary, thyme, paprika, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

After the cider has evaporated a little, add the vegetable stock and let simmer until the liquid has almost absorbed and the potatoes are cooked. I even preferred the potatoes to be quite soft already before the baking. But if you want firmer potatoes, don't cook them too long in the pan, as they are going to the oven as well.

Mix half of the cheese to the potatoes and sprouts in the casserole. Then fill an oven dish or dishes with it and layer cheese into the middle.

Bake at 200C for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the flavours come together. Chop the spring onions and sprinkle them fresh onto the bake and it's ready to be enjoyed!

This dish is also my contribution to December's Eat Your Greens challenge by A2K – A Seasonal Veg Table. I linked a recipe there for the first time last month, and now I'm determined doing so every month. It's a great challenge and so is Shaheen's blog, check them out through the links! I found this dish quite suitable as the December contribution as it can be an addition to a festive meal or just a plain seasonal weekday meal (+ it's green!).

Your VegHog