This isn’t your mother’s Green Bean Casserole. Of course throwing it all into a casserole dish and serving it family style is convenient, but how does one elevate this classic recipe for a fancy dinner? You deconstruct it and go back to basics. The green beans stay vibrant while your taste buds says, “It just right.”
Crispy onion topping:
2 medium onions, thinly sliced 1/8 of an inch
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
Beans and sauce:
1 teaspoon salt,
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, kept whole
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half/cream
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F in the bake setting. Lower heat to 425 if using a convection oven.
Crispy Onions: Combine the onions, flour, breadcrumbs and salt in a large mixing bowl and coat the onions evenly. Place the onions on a sheet pan coated with non-stick cooking spray or butter. Spread them apart so they cook evenly. Cook at 475 degrees for roughly 30 mins until golden and crispy. Toss the onions around and flip them over to cook evenly.
Green Beans: While the onions are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil to blanch the green beans. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and then the beans. Cook for 5 minutes and drain in a colander. Put the beans immediately into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
Sauce: Melt the butter in a 12-inch saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced mushrooms, and then season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes and stir occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid. Add garlic and nutmeg until garlic is slightly golden, and then sprinkle flour evenly. Cook for 1 or two minute and stir the contents. Flour will clump up and absorb all the liquid in the pan. Add chicken broth and simmer, put the heat on med-low before adding the cream/half and half. Stir and cook until the mixture thickens.
Plating: Add a spoonful of the mushroom sauce on the plate. Pile the green beans directly on top of the sauce and garnish with crispy onion.
Chef Shawn Sei 