Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts

Serves 6 as a side dish

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
12 rashers of streaky bacon 
200g Brussels 
100g ready cooked vacuum packed chestnuts 
50ml boiling water 
1 tbsp sugar 
Salt 
Pepper 

This is a really lovely way to enjoy Brussels, they remain crispy and tasty, the chestnuts are soft and creamy and the bacon gives that gorgeous salty hit.

Method
15 minutes before you want to start cooking this dish put your bacon into the freezer.  Bacon can be difficult to cut, especially through the fat and being very very cold and on the verge of freezing really does help. 

Cut your bacon into little pieces and put into a wok or frying pan over a medium heat and cook until completely golden and crispy, stirring from time to time.  Expect this step to take around 10 minutes, it could be a little longer so just stay with it.

When you are happy with the bacon remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with kitchen paper and put to one side.  Keep the pan and fat to cook the sprouts in.

While the bacon is cooking trim your sprouts.  To do this cut off the very bottom and pull off the outer 2-4 leaves.  If your sprouts are small leave them whole but if they are large then cut them in half.  Cut your chestnuts into quarters. 

Put the water and sugar into the bacon pan and turn the heat to medium high.   Add the sprouts and cook for 6-8 minutes shaking the pan from time to time. Towards the end of the cooking time the water should all have disappeared and you should be left with a beautiful sticky glaze.  When you are happy with the sprouts (I like mine to have a little crunch when I bite but to be most definitely cooked).  Add the chestnuts and warm through for a minute or so shaking the pan or stirring.  Put the bacon back into the pan and cook for a further minute.  Give a generous grind of black pepper and check the seasoning, adjusting if needed.