Name: Charred Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Sweet Chili–Lime Dressing
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup sweet chili sauce; 1 tablespoon lime juice; 1 tablespoon fish sauce; 3 garlic cloves , minced; 2 pounds brussels sprouts , trimmed; ¾ teaspoon table salt; ½ teaspoon pepper; 6 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided; ⅓ cup dry-roasted peanuts , chopped; ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted to create a shaved brussels sprout salad with deeply browned but not overcooked sprouts. We cooked 2 pounds of brussels sprouts in two batches, layering the sprouts in the pan and letting them cook without turning them, which allowed us to caramelize the bottom layer and maintain the bright-green color and crisp-tender texture of raw sprouts on the top layer. Using enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet thoroughly ensured that the bottom layer of sprouts made complete contact with the fat to brown evenly from edge to edge. Keeping the pan uncovered kept the brussels sprouts from steaming. A viscous sauce made with sweet chili sauce and savory fish sauce was a welcome finish to balance the bitter, nutty, subtly sweet brussels sprouts.

Before You Begin

You can find sweet chili sauce in most well-stocked supermarkets or in Asian grocery stores. We prefer to use the slicing disk of a food processor, but you can also slice the brussels sprouts by hand: Cut the sprouts in half lengthwise, arrange the halves cut sides down on a cutting board, and then slice crosswise as thin as possible. You can substitute 1½ pounds of preshredded brussels sprouts for the 2 pounds of whole sprouts called for here.

Instructions

for the dressing

Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl; set aside.

for the brussels sprouts

Fit food processor with slicing disk. Slice brussels sprouts, then transfer to large bowl. Add salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of sprouts in even layer and cook without moving them until sprouts are well browned on bottom and bright green on top, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer sprouts to serving platter, spread into even layer, and drizzle with half of dressing. Repeat with remaining 3 tablespoons oil and remaining sprouts, layering second batch of cooked sprouts on top of first batch, then drizzle with remaining dressing. Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro. Serve.