Green Beans, Shallots & Bacon

My mother-in-law was one of the most saintly women to ever walk the planet, but an adventurous chef she was not. In the kitchen, she stuck close to her Canadian roots. Not familiar with Canadian cuisine?  Let’s just say it’s not surprising that, in the history of the universe, no one has uttered the words, “Let’s order Canadian tonight.”

In Joan’s Canadian kitchen, meat was largely baked, in the oven, with only salt and pepper for seasoning.  Vegetables were cooked stovetop, boiled until they cried for mercy and could be consumed with a straw.

To hear my husband and brother-in-law, Ross, describe it, things didn’t improve much at the holidays.  In fact, Ross coined the term “the Hit Parade of Bad Vegetables” for the smorgasborg of inedibles that would appear on the Owens Thanksgiving table. Creamed pearl onions. Canned hominy. Boiled red cabbage. Paul remembers that “it was enough to make the most committed vegan fall off the wagon.”

My friends, it saddens me to report that, several hundred miles due south, Pegster’s Strawberry Kitchen did little to cater to the junior pilgrims on Thanksgiving. Our grandparents and great aunts and uncles – some of whom actually remembered their trip on the Mayflower–were delighted by the mashed up yams, crammed into hollowed-out oranges and broiled with marshmallows on top that my mother served up.  I considered this a crime against marshmallows. In addition, she insisted on wild rice (ick), studded with mushrooms (double ick), instead of the whipped, white buttery mashed potatoes our hearts desired. 

This is a long backstory to explain that when I took over as the Thanksgiving Maven, I was determined to prepare traditional holiday fare that celebrants, even children, would actually want to consume.  And when I lit on a green bean recipe had that 4-year-olds and 84-year-olds scrambling for seconds, I knew I had a winner.

One of the benefits of this recipe, in addition to their irrefutable scrumminess, is that the beans can be boiled earlier in the day (or even a day ahead), wrapped in a kitchen towel and refrigerated, and then szushed-up with the shallots, bacon and butter (thank you, Satan) in the saute pan before serving.

I’ve served these green beans each of the last 20 years.  Everyone loves them. I hope you will, too.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh green beans

• 10 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  (applewood smoked particularly good)

• 3 Tbs. butter

• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

• Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions

• Snip the very ends of the green beans, removing stems.
• Cook beans in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente (about 5 minutes). Drain in colander, and pat dry.  (Can be prepared ahead, wrapped in paper towels and stored in fridge until ready to proceed).
• Saute bacon in heavy large skillet, over medium heat, until crisp.  Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to dry; retain about 3 Tbs. bacon fat in skillet; discard remainder.
• To melted bacon fat, add butter and melt.  Add shallots and saute until tender and golden, about 3 minutes.  Add beans and saute until heated through.  Add bacon to skillet and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

RECIPE FOR PRINT

Green Beans with Shallots & Bacon

Recipe by Betsy OwensCourse: Holidays, SideDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh green beans

• 10 slices bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
  (applewood smoked particularly good)

• 3 Tbs. butter

• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Snip the very ends of the green beans, removing stems.
• Cook beans in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente (about 5 minutes). Drain in colander, and pat dry.  (Can be prepared ahead, wrapped in paper towels and stored in fridge until ready to proceed).
• Saute bacon in heavy large skillet, over medium heat, until crisp.  Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to dry; retain about 3 Tbs. bacon fat in skillet; discard remainder.
• To melted bacon fat, add butter and melt.  Add shallots and saute until tender and golden, about 3 minutes.  Add beans and saute until heated through.  Add bacon to skillet and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.