Roasted Sprouts with Tahini dressing and Walnut Crumble
Roasted sprouts are a revelation, include a tasty dressing and a walnut crumble and you have the perfect way to enjoy this little vegetable.
We know sprouts divide the festive dining table – there are lovers and haters but expect to convert a few sprout haters with this delicious Roasted Sprouts with Tahini dressing and Walnut Crumble. We have enjoyed eating sprouts this way so much we are definitely making the most of sprouts this season. In fact and this may disgust some of you (but if you are sprout haters you’ll have given up reading by now – or not have clicked to open the recipe- that’s right keep scrolling) but we’ve been known to just make this dish and eat it.
Why do people hate sprouts?
Did you know that it could be your genetics that determines your feelings about these little vegetables? In a study by Cornwall College in 2011, they found that sprouts contain a chemical that only tastes bitter to people who have a variation of a certain gene. The research found that around 50 per cent of the world’s population have a mutation on this gene. The lucky half (that includes Sarah and me) don’t taste the bitterness, and therefore like them a whole lot more than everyone else (our husbands).
How to raise your sprout game.
No more over or undercooked boring boiled sprouts for the dinner table. We’ve elevated the humble sprout and created a new way of serving this traditional winter veg making the humble understated sprout a show-stopping dish. Roasting sprouts brings out their natural sweetness, roasted until they are just tender and have started to caramelise and taken on a delicious flavour. Now you could stop here – but can we recommend a couple of additions?
So they are roasted sprouts and? Well yes, that’s great, they are lovely just like this but add a tahini and maple dressing, sweet yet juicy dried cranberries and then top with a lemon and walnut crumble and you’ve got a dish to be seriously proud of. Show off those sprouts!
The walnut crumble adds a delicious texture, with a pulsed mix of lemon zest, pink peppercorns, walnuts and a pinch of salt and the blend of yoghurt, tahini with a touch of maple syrup makes the perfectly smooth flavour contrast to the sprouts.
What to do with leftover roasted sprouts?
Can we recommend you try them in a cheese toasted sandwich, throw them in with your macaroni cheese or toss them into a stir fry? Do not let these beauties go to waste.
Raise your sprout game with delicious roasted sprouts with tahini, yoghurt and maple dressing and a tasty walnut crunch.
Ingredients
Scale
Roasted sprouts
Extra virgin olive oil
500g sprouts
1 large red onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper
Tahini Dressing
200g yoghurt – plain, oat or coconut
1 heaped tablespoon light tahini
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Juice ½ lemon
1 clove garlic, roasted
Small pinch of salt
Walnut Crumble
100g walnuts
Zest ½ lemon
1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
¼ teaspoon salt
To serve
30g whole dried cranberries
Instructions
For the sprouts
Heat the oven to 200°C Fan.
Wash and tidy the sprouts.
Place the sprouts into a medium pan with boiling water and par boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and leave to drip dry in a sieve over the pan for 5 minutes.
Add a good glug of oil to the roasting tin, now add the sprouts, seasoning and ensure the sprouts are coated. Add the onions to the roasting tray at one end and put in the garlic cloves.
Place in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the sprouts are tender and can be easily pricked with a fork.
To make the tahini dressing
Add the yoghurt, tahini, maple syrup, lemon juice, roasted garlic clove and pinch of salt into a blender or food processer and blitz until combined.
To make the walnut crumble
Add the walnuts to a dry frying pan and toast over a medium heat until golden. Keep moving them around the pan to ensure they don’t burn. Allow the walnuts to cool before placing them into a food processor with the lemon zest, salt and peppercorns. Pulse to create a coarse rough crumble.
To serve
Cover the serving plate with 3/4s of the tahini dressing, pile on the sprouts and scatter over the onions. Then liberally scatter over the dried cranberries and sprinkle a generous covering of the walnut crumble over the dish and serve with the extra tahini dressing in a jug.
If you are looking for gift inspiration for the cooks and foodies in your life then our Christmas gift guide might be just what you need –
