roasted brussels sprouts + pan drippings

Domenico did it again. He came home with pork. He does this so often that I even have a chapter in my new book entitled ‘Bringing Home the Bacon.’ Usually the bacon comes in the form of guanciale, pancetta or sausages. In other words, cured pork, that is usually vacuum packed and so can live in my fridge for months until I’m ready to use it, bit by bit.

Last week though was different. He came home with a quarter of a suckling pig. My gut reaction was to stick it in the freezer and then pull it out the next time I was planning a party. One problem though: it was too big to fit in my tiny Italian freezer.

The solution was an emergency dinner party to enlist help to eat our way through this pig-a-palooza. Even though it was a Monday night (who has dinner parties on a Monday?) , Gillian and Georgia came with hubbies in tow to help us out in our time of need. I was going to write about the roasting of the pig, but not only did I forget to take any photos of the finished product, the recipe itself was taken straight from this website. And it was barely a recipe. Since the pig was raised on a friend’s farm, it was good to start with. So all it needed was a bit of salt and then I let it roast away at various temperatures for about 3 hours to result in succulent, tender meat and crispy crackling skin.

And do you know what else I ended up with? A pan full of delicious drippings. Which turn out to be the secret ingredient to make just about anything taste better.

So while we literally pigged out at the beginning of the week (and managed to eat our way through just about the entire piece of meat!) the drippings enlivened the rest of the week, which was mostly about vegetables.

One of my favorite dishes  were the roasted Brussels sprouts we had on Wednesday. All I did was cut them in half, then toss them with 4 tablespoons of the pork drippings, and let them roast in the oven until they were browned and slightly crispy on the outside, and tender in the center.  Like normal roasted Brussels sprouts, except for the huge difference that they tasted of  the glorious roast pork we’d enjoyed the day before. Like the very best part of the pig, but with much less guilt and maybe more fiber and vitamins?

While you may not have suckling pig drippings to deal with, I’m sure that you’ve been faced with a pan full of chicken or  roast drippings, right? And if it’s not Thanksgiving you most likely didn’t even consider making gravy (which is also always an option) Well, next time you have drippings don’t wash them down the drain. Save them and use them. You’ll thank me.

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roasted brussel spouts + drippings

Prep 10 mins

Cook 25 mins

Total 35 mins

Author Elizabeth

Yield 4

Drippings: The next time you make a roast, scrape the drippings into a glass jar or bowl to keep in your fridge. Make sure you scrape out all the bits and pieces, especially the browned bits, since these will lend a lot of flavor. When you go to use it, the fat will have mostly congealed. If there is a thin layer of transparent, liquid grease on top, you can skim this away. That will be any other vegetable oil you used in your roast. The rest of what is in your jar will be in two layers. On top will be the fat from the roast, and on the bottom, darker, will be the gelled juices. I like to give it a good mix, and use a bit of both. The juices will reduce, but lend a lot of flavor, kind of like very intense broth. Also, remember, this will probably be salty, so season your vegetables accordingly.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of brussel sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
• 4 tablespoons of drippings
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F
2. Place the cut Brussel sprouts in a bowl, and toss with the drippings. Taste one of raw spouts before adding salt, since the drippings may be very salty. Add salt and pepper to taste, then spread them in a single layer on a parchment covered baking sheet.
3. Place in oven and cook until browned, about 25 minutes.