Green Beans with Almonds and Garlic

By darusts

Green beans amandine—beans tossed with toasted almonds and a lemon-butter sauce—is a classic. But this riff has much richer almond flavor because the beans are sautéed in the butter mixture in which the nuts were toasted. Using thin haricots verts makes the dish even more special; regular green beans are fine, too, but they’ll take longer to blanch.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 lb. haricots verts (thin French green beans) or green beans, trimmed
• 1 oz. (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs. pure olive oil
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 tsp. minced or pressed garlic (1 medium clove)
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice (from 1 small lemon)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Details

Adapted from finecooking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a 6- to 7-quart pot of water to a boil. Add the beans and cook until bright green and barely crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water until completely cool. Spread the beans on a clean kitchen towel and dry thoroughly.

In a 12-inch skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium-low heat until the butter melts and the foam subsides. Add the almonds and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown all over, about 3 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds to a plate. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans, increase the heat to medium, and cook, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender and lightly browned in some places, 5 to 8 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with the almonds, and serve.

Make Ahead Tips
The beans can be blanched (boiled until barely crisp-tender) up to 1 day ahead; refrigerate wrapped in paper towels in a plastic bag.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 120; Fat (g): fat g 10; Fat Calories (kcal): 90; Saturated Fat (g): sat fat g 2.5; Protein (g): protein g 3; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 5; Carbohydrates (g): carbs g 7; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1.5; Sodium (mg): sodium mg 150; Cholesterol (mg): cholesterol mg 10; Fiber (g): fiber g 3;