When my sixteen-year-old daughter, Virginia Grace, came up with this amazing concoction, I was more than a little hesitant. I had a hard time imagining what all these flavors would taste like together. But I can personally vouch for this dish, and so can every single person who has come for dinner at our house to enjoy it!

The rich, savory flavor of the sizzling spiced breakfast sausage and tangy cranberries couple nicely with the mellowness of the coconut drenched sweet potatoes, which tame and sweeten the normally commanding presence of the roasted Brussel Sprouts.

And the balsamic glaze is the crowning glory! Such an easy dish to have such complex flavor! And it’s all good for you!

Serves 6-12

3 sweet potatoes, diced in large chunks
2 C. Brussel sprouts (trimmed and cut in half)
2 lbs. grass-fed breakfast sausage, ground
3 T. coconut oil

2 C. fresh cranberries
2-3 T. coconut oil
1-2 drops Young Living Black Pepper essential oil
fresh thyme
rosemary
cinnamon
himalayan sea salt & cracked pepper
1-2 T. apple cider (or 1/2 C. chopped apples)
coconut oil
balsamic vinegar

Brown the sausage in a cast iron skillet. And brown it well! You want to intensify the flavor here! Leave remaining grease in pan and set drained sausage aside. Season and sauté the sweet potatoes and Brussel sprouts in sausage grease and coconut oil until almost tender.

While that’s cooking, sauté cranberries in coconut oil in a separate pan until they “pop,” adding balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and thyme.

Combine all ingredients, place in a casserole dish, and place in oven at 350 degrees uncovered until sweet potatoes are tender. Garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme, and drizzle with butter mixture

Optional: Drizzle with melted butter sauce:

1/2 C. Grass-fed Kerrygold Butter or Ghee
2 drops Young Living Lemon essential oil
Cinnamon
sage
Garlic
Salt & pepper