If you are after an idea for a pre-Christmas dinner, or a nifty side dish to have with your cold cuts on Boxing Day, this sprout Caesar may come in handy. It takes a little bit of work shredding all the sprouts, but this is such a nice way to eat them. 

The dressing softens and mellows the sprouts so naysayers will think they’re eating shredded lettuce. Fans will be thrilled to have a favourite veg given the cae-sal treatment with that salty tang. The crispy chilli isn’t essential but I’m addicted to the stuff (I buy the Lao Gan Ma brand) and it really does give this some welly. 

I want this to feed veggies, so have left out the anchovies which you might usually put in a Caesar dressing, but you could absolutely add a couple to yours – just watch the seasoning. If you wanted to make this a main meal, you could top it with fried lardons and a few jammy boiled eggs. I think this would be a lovely salad alongside ham, pickles, mustards, and some sort of potato. Happy Christmas, and see you on the other side! 

Serves

6 as a side 

Timings

Prep time: 25 minutes 

Cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 100g white bread 
  • 5 tbsp olive oil 
  • 5 garlic cloves 
  • 500g sprouts 
  • 80g Parmesan, grated + extra for serving 
  • A large egg
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar 
  • A lemon, juiced 
  • 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard 
  • 2 tbsp double cream 
  • 4 tsp crispy chilli oil 

Method 

  • Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. 
  • Start with the croutons. Tear the bread into small pieces. Scatter on a baking tray and drizzle over 1 tbsp of olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes, tossing once. You want the croutons to be nice and brown. 
  • Remove from the oven and pop in a bowl. Finely chop or grate 2 garlic cloves and add to the bowl of hot crumbs. Use tongs to toss together. 
  • Turn your attention to the sprouts. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, shred the sprouts thinly and put in a big mixing bowl. 
  • To make the dressing, peel the remaining garlic cloves and blitz with the Parmesan, egg, vinegar, lemon, mustard, cream and remaining olive oil in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Taste and add a little salt if it needs it. 
  • Pour the dressing over the sprouts and use tongs or your hands to toss well. Leave for ten minutes before serving – the sprouts will slump and soften a little in the dressing. 
  • Tumble onto a big serving dish. Top with the crumbs, extra grated parmesan and little spoonfuls of crispy chilli oil. 

    • The Art of Friday Night Dinner by Eleanor Steafel (RRP £26). Buy now at books.telegraph.co.uk or call 0844 871 1514. 

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