A German winter side of Brussels sprouts: the little cabbages are trimmed, blanched, then tossed or braised with butter, diced bacon and a grating of nutmeg until tender and glossy. Cooked this way they lose the harsh sulphurous edge of overboiled sprouts and turn nutty, buttery and savoury, the bacon lending smoke and salt. They appear from late autumn through winter beside roast meats, game and Christmas goose, a hardy frost-sweetened vegetable that comes into its own in the cold months.
Rosenkohl ("rose cabbage," for the way the buds spiral like little roses) is the German name for Brussels sprouts, and the preparation is a plain winter Beilage rather than a dish of any one Land. The vegetable's modern cultivated form is associated with the region around Brussels, from which several European languages take its name, and it spread into German kitchens as a cold-season crop that not only tolerates frost but grows sweeter after it. The German habit of finishing the blanched sprouts with butter, bacon and nutmeg turns a vegetable with a strong reputation into a savoury, mellow side, and it belongs to the autumn-and-winter, roast-and-game table across the country.
Tender little cabbages, bright green at the heart, glossy with butter and studded with crisp salty bacon, tasting nutty and savoury rather than bitter. Cooked right, they keep a slight bite and a sweet, mellow note that frost brings out; the nutmeg rounds them and the bacon fat carries the flavour. Overcooked sprouts go grey and sulphurous, but a quick blanch and a buttery finish keep them sweet and appealing. A warm, hearty winter vegetable that stands up to rich roasts.
The trick is not to overcook them. Brussels sprouts are dense little buds high in glucosinolates, sulphur compounds that break down into pungent, eggy-smelling molecules the longer they are heated — which is exactly why long-boiled sprouts smell bad. Blanching briefly in well-salted water, then finishing in butter, cooks them through while keeping the heat-time short and the colour green. Trimming the base and not cutting a deep cross lets the bud cook evenly; the bacon is rendered first so the sprouts braise in savoury fat, and the nutmeg seasons at the end. Tender-crisp, not grey and mushy, is the goal.
Variations
Common additions are toasted flaked almonds or chestnuts for crunch, a little cream to make them richer, or browned butter and breadcrumbs over the top. A meatless version skips the bacon and leans on butter and nutmeg alone. Some cooks braise the sprouts gently in stock rather than blanching and tossing. They are a staple of the German Christmas-goose dinner and a standard cold-weather side under roast pork and venison.
On the Palate
Where Rosenkohl sits in the German flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
6 steps · 20 min active + 10 min waiting
- 16 min
Trim the base of each sprout and remove any loose outer leaves.
- 27 min
Blanch the sprouts in well-salted boiling water until just tender, then drain.
Watch outBlanch the sprouts in well-salted water just until tender, then drain — keeping the heat-time short holds the green and the sweetness; boil them long and the sulphur compounds build into that grey, eggy, mushy stink.
- 35 min
Render diced bacon in a pan until the fat runs and the bits crisp.
- 43 min
Add the blanched sprouts and toss in the bacon fat to coat and warm through.
Watch outToss the drained sprouts in the rendered bacon fat just to coat and warm through — a quick roll in the fat is enough; don't cook them down further or they slump.
- 52 min
Add a knob of butter, season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
- 62 min
Toss until glossy and tender, and serve hot.
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