Union Square Café's Hashed Brussels Sprouts with Poppy Seeds and Lemon

Every week -- often with your help -- Food52's Senior Editor Kristen Miglore is unearthing recipes that are nothing short of genius.

Today: A January detox recipe that will give you comfort, not discipline.

A few years back, we rediscovered our national affection for the brussels sprout (or maybe we found it for the first time) -- and it stuck.

The long, painful boil behind us, we've shaved and slaw-ified. We've deep-fried, standing back, till their frizzly manes curled and popped. And by my count, as of 2014, we have roasted 1 metric ton per person. 

But right now, even our most cherished go-tos are an ill fit. A little heavy, or a little too clean and crunchy; none just right. Let us help with that. Here, from Danny Meyer & Michael Romano's classic Union Square Café Cookbook, is a brussels sprout recipe that will bring a bright new pattern to your life: the hash.

Hashing combines the best of our favorite techniques -- the loft of a raw shredded salad with the warmth and toasted edges of high-heat roasting or frying. It takes little time or planning to pull off and, just in time for January, gives you a light -- but not too light -- new favorite.

More: 11 Resolution-Approved Detox Recipes

"We had long thought that brussels sprouts were a 'torpedo' as we used to say; in other words, an item that could sink a dish it was paired with," Romano wrote in an email. "So we took on the challenge of creating a recipe that would help people like brussels sprouts!" It was a hit: lithe and cooked just enough, with no cabbage-y funk.

Here's what to do:

Halve, then thinly slice a pile of sprouts. With a little therapeutic knife work, tight green coils relax into a feathery heap. As you go, you'll toss the strands in lemon juice and break up any lingering clumps. Genius points: you can prep this recipe a few hours ahead, if you stop here.

When you're ready to eat, heat olive oil in a wide sauté pan, then pour in your pile of would-be slaw, plus garlic and poppy seeds (or mustard seeds, per a popular variation).

Stir it around just till it loses its raw edge, then pour in white wine for a quick, cleansing steam. Season, then serve before it loses its glow.

This is detox, how we like it.

Union Square Café's Hashed Brussels Sprouts with Poppy Seeds and Lemon

From Union Square Café Cookbook (HarperCollins, 1994)

Serves 4 to 6
 
1 pound large brussels sprouts
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photos by James Ransom, except Michael Romano & Danny Meyer courtesy of Union Square Café via The Atlantic

Got a genius recipe to share -- from a classic cookbook, an online source, or anywhere, really? Please send it my way (and tell me what's so smart about it) at [email protected]. Thanks to Food52er Eliz. for this one!