French Style Green Beans (Haricots Verts Amandine)
Recipe for French Green Beans Almondine, also known as Haricots Verts Amandine, are made with tender blanched green beans, sliced almonds toasted in brown butter with shallots, lemon and finished with a touch of parsley.
Servings 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb slender green beans, trimmed 450 g
- Kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 56 g
- ½ cup sliced almonds 50 g
- 1 shallot, finely minced can also use white or yellow onion
- 1 small clove garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the green beans and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until bright green and crisp-tender.
- Immediately transfer the beans to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain very well.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells distinctly nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes. Don't walk away at this stage, as the butter can go from perfectly browned to burnt very quickly.
- Add the sliced almonds to the butter and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted.
- Stir in the minced shallot (or onion) and cook for about 2 minutes, until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add the blanched green beans and toss thoroughly to coat them in the browned butter. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are heated through.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, and several grinds of black pepper. Taste and add additional salt if necessary.
- Transfer the beans to a serving dish, making sure to spoon all those lovely toasted almonds and browned butter over the top.
