We did these at thanksgiving and they were a hit. Clean, no water as above to get to the nice leaves.
-Cut in half and flash boil them for a minute or two to par cook then shock in an ice bath. drain on paper towels. they can keep well after that so cooking when you need them is a snap. (we had to travel with them from ny to nh so....)
-we rendered some diced bacon in a pan and added diced onion and shallot to sweat. then tossed the brussels in and sauteed til we had a little brown on the sprouts. tried to keep the cut side down to get the color. finally a toss in the pan with a little balsamic vinegar. salt and pepper as needed. they were nice and firm but cooked and not bitter.

Roast them ! Roast them ! Roast them !

Clean the sprouts (no water), pulling off the discolored, wilted outer leaves. Cut them in half (quarters only if they're huge) and toss them with a good glug of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. If you have some hardy fresh herbs, like rosemary, add a bit of that in as well. You can do this in a bowl, or I just do it right on the sheet pan, and moosh everything around with my hands, making sure all surfaces of the sprouts are covered with the goodness. Make sure the sprouts are in a single layer in your pan, put the pan into a pre-heated 400° oven, and roast for about 7 minutes. Pull the pan out, turn the sprouts over, and put back in for another 5-7 minutes. You can squeeze a bit of lemon juice (just a bit...a tiny bit) over before service, but serve and swoon. They are so good ! No more than 20 minutes total.

Brown and braise, baby! Cut them in half. Melt the butter with a little olive oil in a sautee pan, then thinly slice the garlic and cook the slivers in the oil/butter till they are just golden. Remove them to a towel. Place the sprouts cut side down in the pan and cook them undisturbed until caramelized. Then pour some white wine of chicken broth in, cover and let them steam until fork tender. Sprinkle the garlic chips over them before serving.