Seventh best thing I made this year: Brussels sprout salad

I'm not going to let a power outage keep me from finishing my year-end countdown. A few nights ago we had a massive ice storm, and we lost power. It's been over 48 hours now, the house is an igloo, and as I type this I'm sitting at a coffee shop, drinking a gingerbread latte, wearing sweatpants. I'm not proud of it.

Anyway, the seventh best thing I made this year. The Brussels sprout "magic" salad, which the boyfriend and I eat with regularity. It is inspired by this, from the Pioneer Woman, but I couldn't stop throwing wintry ingredients into the mix. This is what I do:

I buy a pound of B sprouts. The plastic mesh bag of them at the grocery? That's a pound. I cut off the root end, peel off the top layer, and slice them in half. Maybe in quarters, depending on how big they are.

I put them on a sheet pan and toss them with oil, salt, pepper, and a touch of cayenne. I roast them at 400 or 450, tossing them every 10 minutes or so, until they are crispy and a little bit burnt-looking.

I throw them into a big bowl and start adding my flavor-boosters: pomegranate arils, torn mint leaves, crumbled feta, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, chopped apple, and a big pinch of flaky Maldon salt.