Ode to Brussels Sprouts

I'd just like to take a moment to give a shout-out to brussels sprouts. This is one of those things I truly believed I hated until pretty recently, but I am now completely obsessed with.

First, a little background... according to my wonderful wikipedia, they are relatives of the cabbage and date back to ancient Rome. The thing that really blew my mind was this picture of how they grow :

I had no idea thats what they looked like! I imagined them as teeny cabbages right near the ground. So, you learn something new every day (or, at least on the good days).

Now, what do I do to the sprouts that has completely changed my mind? Roasting! I'm pretty sure there is no veggie that I don't think is better off roasted (at least now, during my big roasting kick). I like to maximize the surface area, so I quarter them and toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper like this:

Then, put them in the oven at about 375-400, and roast until they look like this...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... they are brown, and a little crispy, and kind of roasted and nutty. SO GOOD!