The Brussel Sprout is one of the vegetables that people either hate or love. Not a lot of middle ground here.

It often seems that most people's distaste for this vegetable comes from early childhood. When mom, dad, or grandma would make this for dinner or a holiday dinner, and would just boil or steam it, with little to no seasoning.

Understandably, this can definitely lead to a certain PTSD when it comes to revisiting this vegetable in later adult years. Unfortunately, what past generations didn't realize, was that if they applied other complimentary ingredients, Brussel sprouts are actually not half bad and can be pretty tasty if prepared properly!

So if you're ever willing to give it another go, here is my suggestion. Let me preface this by saying that this method of preparing sprouts is nothing new. I've prepared it many times at restaurants when in season. There are numerous other ways in which they can be made that are as equally appetizing. However, I feel this method of preparation is a perfect springboard in which to dive in and revisit the Brussel sprout or try it out for the first time.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Balsamic Vinegar

• 1 lb - Brussel Sprouts

• 1/4 lb - Bacon

• 1/4 c - Balsamic Vinegar

• 1/2 c - Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Pot of Salted Boiling water

• Salt and Pepper

First chop up the raw bacon and render in a pan until it is all crispy. Remove from pan, strain the fat and set aside.

As the bacon is rendering, you can start cleaning the brussel sprouts. Begin by removing any of the outer leaves of the sprout that look dark or may be starting to turn brown. After that trim off a small part of the bottom of the stem that may be brown as well. After that quarter the brussel sprout, cutting down the center of where the stem is. Once all the sprouts are clean you can toss them in oil, and the balsamic vinegar, add some salt and pepper and cook in a 375° oven for 20 minutes or so. Towars the last 5 minutes of cooking add the bacon and stir, and let them finish off. Keep a close eye on them, as they get close to finishing, there could be a chance that the balsamic vinegar will burn. Once the sprouts have caramelized remove the sprouts from the oven and put them on a serving plate and enjoy.