Brussel Sprouts with Bacon in a Creamy Cheese Sauce

I'm not a person who generally cares for Brussel Sprouts. This was yummy (although I did bribe myself with cream and bacon fat). Real discussion with my better half:
BH: "Butter, Cheese, Cream, Bacon ... that's a lot of fat".
Me: "You want me to eat brussel sprouts, right?
Ingredients
- 10 ounces (300 g) bacon, cut into strips
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 20 oz Brussel sprouts (I used frozen ones if you use fresh cut them in half)
- Salt and pepper to season
- 3 Tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 heavy cream
- 1/3 cup grated mozzarella
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Fry the bacon in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat until crispy. I used my 12" cast iron pan. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel lined plate to soak up some of the oil. Set aside.
- Drain most of the bacon fat from the pan, leaving about 1-2 tablespoons for added flavour (adjust this amount to your liking). In the same pan, melt the butter, then add the Brussels sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook while stirring occasionally, for about 6 minutes. The edges should start crisping and slightly charring.
- Add in the garlic and stir it through the sprouts for a minute, until fragrant. Pour in the cream, reduce heat down to low and allow them to simmer until tender (another 3-4 minutes).
- Add the bacon in and give everything a good mix to combine all of the flavurs together. Top the sprouts with the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Bake until cheese is bubbly and sprouts are done to your liking (about 15 minutes).
- Season with a little extra pepper before serving.
Share and Enjoy!
Edit: 12-1-2018
Potential Alterations:
- Use fresh sprouts and cut them in half
- If it's a little thin before you put it in the oven mix together 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water into a slurry and add if before you put it in the oven.
- Anne felt I should've reserved some bacon and used it as a topping when it was done.
- Before you pull it out of the oven put turn on the broiler for 2-3 mins to brown the cheese.