Pan-Roasted Green Beans with Golden Almonds

This simple almond-shallot topping goes with just about any simply cooked vegetable, but it tastes best with green beans. Instead of simply blanching the beans, I char them until they develop a smoky richness.
Serves4
Cooking MethodSauteeing
CostInexpensive
OccasionCasual Dinner Party, Family Get-together
Recipe CourseSide Dish
Dietary ConsiderationEgg-free, Gluten-free, Halal, Kosher, Lactose-free, Peanut Free, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
MealDinner
Taste and TextureCrisp, Nutty
Type of DishVegetable
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 8 ounces green beans and/or wax beans, trimmed
- ¼ cup blanched whole almonds, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook until bright green but still firm, about 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice water. When cool, drain again. Pat dry with paper towels until completely dry.
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Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the almonds and the oil, adding more oil if needed to just cover the almonds. Cook over medium heat until the almonds are golden, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shallot. It will cook in the residual heat.
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Coat a large skillet with oil. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the beans and season with salt. Cook, tossing frequently, until charred dark brown in spots and tender-crisp, about 7 minutes.
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Top with the almond mixture, then the parsley. Grate the zest from a quarter of the lemon directly over, then cut the lemon into wedges for serving. Season with pepper and serve.
2011 Jean-Georges Vongerichten