Creamy Green Beans with Crispy Shallots

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Hand-crisped shallots are an elegant replacement for the canned French-fried onions so often used to garnish these classic holiday bean dish. When cleaning mushrooms, do so with a brush or damp paper towel -- when washed in water, mushrooms become soggy.

Creamy Green Beans with Crispy Shallots
Photo: Peter Frank Edwards
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
15 mins
Bake Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hrs 30 mins
Servings:
8

Ingredients

  • 2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut in 3-inch pieces

  • 6 tablespoon unsalted butter (3/4 stick)

  • 1 onion, diced

  • 1 pound button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 ½ cup milk

  • 2 teaspoon sea salt

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 gratings of fresh nutmeg

  • Canola oil, for frying

  • 9 shallots, sliced crosswise in 1/4-inch rings

  • ½ cup cornstarch, sifted

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish; set aside.

  2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boiling. Prepare and set aside a large bowl of ice water. Cook green beans in boiling water about 2 minutes, just until bright green; drain and place in ice water to cool rapidly. Drain thoroughly.

  3. Meanwhile, in very large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot butter about 3 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add 1 Tbsp. butter; turn heat to medium-high. Sauté mushrooms about 4 minutes, until golden. Transfer onions, mushrooms, and beans to a large bowl.

  4. For sauce, in the same skillet, melt remaining 3 Tbsp. butter over medium heat; stir in flour. Stir constantly, about 2 minutes, until flour turns light brown. Slowly pour in the milk; cook and stir about 4 minutes, until thickened. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat; cool completely. Pour cooked sauce over bean mixture; stir to coat evenly. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Bak about 40 minutes, until sauce bubbles around edges.

  5. Meanwhile, for topping, pour 3 to 4 inches of oil into a deep heavy saucepan. Heat oil over medium-high heat until sizzling. Working in batches, separate shallots into rings; toss with cornstarch to coat, shaking off excess. Carefully add to hot oil. Fry for 2 minutes (each batch), until golden and crisp. Remove with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.

  6. Remove casserole from oven, sprinkle with shallots. Bake 5 minutes more, until top is crisp and golden. Serve warm.

Tips

Bake and refrigerate untopped green bean mixture 1 day ahead. Fry shallots up to 2 days ahead; store in airtight container at room temperature. Reheat green beans, covered, at 350°F for 30 minutes, until heated through. Top with crispy shallots the last 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

126 Calories
8g Fat
12g Carbs
3g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 126
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 13mg 4%
Sodium 200mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 8.9mg 45%
Calcium 60.6mg 5%
Iron 0.9mg 5%
Potassium 267mg 6%
Folate, total 28.2mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.1mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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