Benefit of the sprout

Traditionally, Brussels sprouts were boiled or steamed for an inexplicably long time. This gave them a grey tinge and a bad name. But then we started treating them with a bit of dignity and bacon, and life was good again.

Brussels sprouts have become more considered, as have a lot of vegetables. Parsnip is another example. It used to be a roasting vegetable that would sometimes turn up in a soup. Now it’s on dessert menus at avantgarde restaurants and in salads.

The prize for the best-cooked Brussels sprout dish goes to David Chang. He fries them and dresses them with a fish sauce vinaigrette. It’s completely addictive. I’d be happy to eat a bowl of these with every roast chicken I’ve ever cooked.

Anchovies are another bedfellow for Brussels sprouts. I’ve made anchovy butter in the past that sits perfectly on a steak but was also delicious tossed through some roasted Brussels sprouts. The recipe for this is not difficult: 50 grams of anchovies to 100 grams of butter, a clove of garlic if you like and a smattering of chopped parsley, all smashed together in a mortar and pestle.

This recipe gets even further from overcooked sprouts, by leaving them raw. Celeriac is another vegetable that benefits from being treated raw, julienned and served in a remoulade.

Raw Brussels sprouts have a lovely sweetness and a pleasant texture when shredded. I remove any grey damaged outer leaves and then will either run them over a mandolin when whole or slice them in half and use a kitchen knife to shred them as thinly as possible.

To make a small amount of mayonnaise is near impossible and a waste of time. You will end up with more than you need, but don’t be alarmed: it lasts a week in the fridge and is good served with pretty much everything.

For this recipe, I always try to source small, tight, organic Brussels sprouts. If I were at a market and there were only bigger, older Brussels sprouts, I wouldn’t

• bother making it. I’d head back to the bacon instead.