Fried Brussel Sprouts with Walnuts and Capers

Oh they aren't pretty but they are delicious!  I don't think qualifies as a health food of any sort with all the oil kicking around and the deep frying and all, but it is a way to eat a serious serving of brussel sprouts and want more.  I saw this dish on Foodnetwork's The Best Thing I Ever Ate and was excited to see it was actually posted.  Everyone seemed to love it so I figured why not, there are only so many steamed boring veggies you can eat without getting really bored.  These were amazing!  I made them ahead of time and left them in the bowl on top of the vinaigrette and tossed it before we were ready to eat.  I think next time I would keep them separate so I could whisk the dressing one last time before serving, it separated out a little but was still fantastic.  I will cut back on the oil in the vinaigrette next time, probably quite a bit.

And seriously, when's the last time you saw leftover bread and meat but a bowl of vegetables look like this?

Fried Brussel Sprouts with Walnuts and Capers
adapted from Michael Simon (Lolita)

Ingredients

*Canola oil, for deep-frying
1 clove garlic, minced
4 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed, filleted and minced
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
2 cups loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinsed and patted dry
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Pour enough oil into a medium pot so that the oil comes 3 inches up the sides. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.

While the oil is heating, whisk together the garlic, anchovies, serrano, red wine vinegar, honey, scallions, walnuts and extra-virgin olive oil in a bowl large enough to toss all of the Brussels sprouts. Keep the bowl near the stovetop.

Working in batches, deep-fry the Brussels sprouts until the edges begin to curl and brown, about 3 minutes. To the last batch, add the parsley and capers (stand back-the capers will pop and sputter!). Give the contents of the pot a stir. When the color of the parsley becomes a deeper, more saturated shade of green, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, remove the contents of the pot with a skimmer and place directly in the bowl of dressing. Toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

*I saw on one of the reviews (after I made it) that Michael Simon actually uses peanut oil, but I used the canola and it was great