Ingredients

The following ingredients have 6 Servings
  • 1 pound green beans or small haricots verts
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallots
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Crispy fried shallots, optional, see how to make them below

Instruction

  • Trim ends from beans and leave them whole. Prepare a bowl filled with cold water and ice.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then add the beans. Cook until bright green, but still crisp. I check for doneness after 2 minutes then add additional time as needed. Depending how thin the beans are, they will need 2 to 4 minutes.
  • Drain the beans and toss them into the ice water.
  • In the bottom of a salad bowl, whisk the minced shallots, mustard, vinegar, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper together. Taste then adjust with more salt and pepper if needed.
  • Toss in the green beans then serve with crispy shallots sprinkled on top.
  • Slice one or two large shallots into thin rings. A mandoline makes quick work of this.
  • Add the shallots and a few tablespoons of high heat cooking oil (like grape seed, vegetable oil, or avocado oil) to a cold, wide frying pan.
  • Turn the heat to medium high and cook until the oil starts bubbling around the shallots. Stir the shallots every once and a while, then when the bubbling slows down, turn the heat to medium low and continue to cook, stirring often, until the shallots are golden. Stay close while they shallots cook, they can go from brown to burnt quickly.
  • Transfer the shallots to a plate lined with paper towels or a clean dish cloth, sprinkle with a little salt, and cool completely. Use the shallots within the next day or so.