Roasted Brussels Sprouts + Fig Jam + Goat Cheese

I had these brussels sprouts at a restaurant near my work called Aksum. It's a Mediterranean restaurant in West Philly. I went with my cousin Sara and her roomie on a rainy day. All I can remember is this side dish. Originally the sprouts included bacon but I skipped it. I'm kind of meh about bacon anyways. I usually just give it to Rex because  I like to spoil him. Originally Nick and I didn't want him to have any human food. Then we met him and fell in love. Now he eats all of the human food. His favorites are plain yogurt, all meat, sweet potato, fruits (mango + blueberries), and Brie cheese. Since I cook mostly vegetarian when he goes to my parents house he is the happiest pup! Over the weekend, my mom gave him a chicken heart. He was so pumped. 

I don't know how went into this tangent about my puppy, but sorry! Just skip to the recipe if you're uninterested. I just can't help it. I'm pretty obsessed with him.

So back to the recipe, finally:

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts (don't even try the frozen stuff)

1/2 cup candied pecans

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese

1/4 cup fig jam

Olive oil + salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trim any yellowing leaves off the sprouts. If they are large, slice them in half or quarter them and place on prepared baking sheet in one layer. If they're on the smaller side, you can leave them whole. You can also slice off the tough end of the vegetable but I usually leave them on. Then drizzle with plenty of olive oil (don't skimp, you're going to want all the browned goodness happening in the oven). Bake for 15 minutes, turn over the sprouts with a spatula, and bake for about 15 more minutes. The baking time is approximate and depends how you like the sprouts. 

Immediately after removing pan from oven, sprinkle the Parmesan over top. Add the sea salt and pepper. Then let cool for bit add the nuts, goat cheese, and dollops of fig jam. You can also heat up and thin out the jam with some water to drizzle over the sprouts. The amounts of these ingredients are what I like. Change it up according to your taste. I also added cubes of Comte cheese because I needed to use it up.