WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: The simple French preparation of green beans tossed in a light sauce of butter, shallots, and lemon, topped with toasted sliced almonds, is refined yet not at all intimidating. Unfortunately, over the years it has descended into a cliché, made with frozen green beans tossed with a bag of sliced blanched almonds and loads of butter. We’ve reclaimed this side dish with crisp-tender fresh beans, crunchy toasted almonds, and a balanced lemon butter sauce. To achieve a more elegant feel, we replaced regular green beans with thin haricots verts. For maximum flavor, we first toasted the almonds, then added a little butter to the skillet and allowed it to brown for further nuttiness. Adding lemon juice off the heat brightened the sauce. After steaming the haricots verts in a little water in a covered skillet until crisp-tender, we tossed them with the sauce. You will need a 12-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe. If using regular green beans, increase the covered cooking time in step 2 to 8 to 10 minutes.
Serves: 4 to 6
Total time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1½ pounds haricots verts or green beans, trimmed
- ¼ cup water
- Salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Toast almonds in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until just golden, about 6 minutes. Add butter, shallot, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until shallot softens and butter is golden brown and has nutty aroma, about 3 minutes. Transfer almond mixture to small bowl and stir in lemon juice.
- Add haricots verts, water, and ½ teaspoon salt to now-empty skillet. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, occasionally tossing with tongs to redistribute, until beans are bright green and still crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high, and cook until liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Off heat, add almond mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt to taste. Serve.
