RECIPE: Roasted Green Beans (great use for big beans!)

My husband harvested 8 pounds of green beans three days ago, and many of them were bigger than I like (I prefer thin haricots-vert type beans).  This recipe turned out to be a life saver : two pounds of mature garden beans was reduced to two servings, and they tasted wonderful.   I made two trays, with different seasonings on each. I wouldn't use thin green beans, they don't have enough flesh to survive roasting.

If you need to store raw beans and don't have room in your fridge, do not wash them.  Place them in a wide bowl, cover them with a cotton dishtowel, and leave them in a cool basement or root cellar.  I kept ours in our basement for 3 days and they were perfect when I brought them upstairs.

This recipe is dead easy - wash, dry, and trim the beans; toss them with butter and either bacon fat or EVOO, and roast until tender and blistered.  I made two trays, one with bacon and one with EVOO, and seasoned them differently.  Both were delicious.  Use my seasoning recommendation or concoct  your own!

Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Parsley

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds large fat green beans (NOT thin haricots vert type beans)
  
• 3 T fat, either butter + olive oil, or bacon fat
• OPTIONAL but recommended:
  
• 1.5 c. thinly sliced shallots 
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley 
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion tops
• 1 T. lemon zest
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  

INSTRUCTIONS:  

Wash the green beans, dry them thoroughly, then slice them into 2-3" pieces.

Preheat the oven to 425F.

In a 10 x 11 baking sheet or equivalent size casserole dish (I used the pan that came with our toaster oven), toss the beans with the fat. THE BEANS WILL SHRINK CONSIDERABLY!  Don't be afraid to load the pan.  There should be 2-3 layers of beans.

Roast the beans in the center of the oven for 10-20 minutes, depending on how fresh they are.  Older beans will cook faster.  

When the beans are about half-way to tender: add one cup of shallots, stir the beans to mix in the shallots, and cook for another 15 minutes.  The shallots should be starting to caramelize; the beans should be starting to brown and almost cooked through. 

Roasted Green Beans and shallots almost cooked

Add the remaining 1/2 cup shallots, stir and return to oven.  Check every 5-10 minutes after that. 

When the beans are done, add the parsley and green onions, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  Toss to combine.  Garnish with lemon zest and serve.  

Eat immediately - they cool down fast!