Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

• 18 medium Brussels sprouts (about 670 g)
• 340 g bacon (about 18 pieces)
• 0.25 cup maple syrup, plus 0.5 cup extra for serving
• 0.5 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tsp lemon juice and zest of half a lemon
• Crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
   
   Trim the stem ends of the Brussels sprouts and cut the florets in half. Place in a medium bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon of salt.
2. Place the bacon strips side by side on a work surface. Brush with about half the maple syrup, then cut in half diagonally.
   
   Wrap each cabbage roll with one strip of bacon, brushed with syrup, seam side out, so that the seam is on the flat side. Place the rolls, seam side down, on a rimmed baking sheet, spaced slightly apart. Brush the rolls with a little more syrup and sprinkle with black pepper.
   
   Bake, rotating the pan after 15 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the cabbage is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 30 minutes total.
3. Combine the mayonnaise, most of the lemon zest, and all of the juice in a small serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining zest. Pour about 0.5 cups of syrup into another bowl and season with black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.
   
   Transfer the cabbage to a platter and serve with mayonnaise sauce and pepper syrup.
   
   Recipe Asparagus wrapped in bacon.