Searching for a sensational
and succulent side dish? I have just the
one, and it’s easy too. I’ve gone a bit
ga-ga over chestnuts lately, so am always looking for new ways in which to
use them. I spotted this recipe on epicurious.com and decided to
give it a try. Am I ever glad that I did, it is so delicious, and rather
elegant at the same time. The haricots
vert can be cleaned and trimmed the day prior and chilled in a
sealable bag lined with paper towels, making it a great
make ahead dish. My guess is that you
can cook the bacon ahead and save a tablespoon or so of the bacon grease and assemble
things in a flash at a moment’s notice.
Recipes like this make me long for the drop-in guest.
Haricots Verts with
Bacon and Chestnuts
1 1/2 pounds haricots verts or other thin green
beans, trimmed
4 bacon slices
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup Melissa's whole peeled and cooked chestnuts,
coarsely crumbled
Cook beans in a medium pot of boiling salted water
(2 tablespoons salt for 4 quarts water), uncovered, until crisp-tender, 4 to 6
minutes. Drain and plunge into an ice bath to stop cooking. Drain well and pat
dry.
Cook bacon in a large heavy skillet over medium
heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, reserving fat in skillet*, then
crumble. Add butter to fat in skillet along with beans, chestnuts, bacon, and
1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated
through, 2 to 3 minutes.
*This was way too
much bacon fat for me, so I poured about half of it off to save for another
use.
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