Seared Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Lardons

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch by 1/4-inch lardons
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds small brussels sprouts, outer leaves discarded, stems trimmed, split in half
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place the bacon and olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Pour in just enough water to barely cover the bacon, then set the pan over medium-high heat and stir to separate the pieces. Cook until the water has fully cooked off, about 8 minutes. Keep cooking, stirring and tossing now and then, until the bacon is crisp all over, about 8 minutes more. Pour the contents of the skillet into a fine mesh strainer set over a large heat-proof bowl.
2. Add the sprouts to the bowl with the bacon fat and toss until they are nicely coated. Clean out the skillet, then spoon in 1 teaspoon bacon fat. Warm it over high heat until it smokes. Arrange as many sprouts as will fit in one layer, cut side down, and leave them alone until they are very dark and charred underneath, about 3 minutes. Turn them over and cook until the other side is charred and the sprouts are tender-crisp all the way through, about 3 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste, then move them to a serving bowl.
3. Cook the remaining sprouts the same way. Add the crisp bacon to the serving bowl, toss everything together, and serve right away.