Garlic Oil Sautéed Green Beans

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Green beans get a quick ice-bath blanch hours ahead, then hit a screaming-hot pan of golden garlic oil for ninety seconds right before dinner. The result is trattoria-style fagiolini — bright green, snappy, glossy with olive oil, and finished with lemon zest and a shower of Parmesan.

Ingredients

• 1 lb green beans, stem ends trimmed
• 3 tbsp kosher salt (for the blanching water)
• 4 cups ice cubes

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 lemon, zested plus 2 tsp juice
• 1/3 cup Parmesan, finely grated
• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds (optional)

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water, add 3 tablespoons kosher salt, and bring to a hard rolling boil. While it heats, fill a large bowl with cold water and the ice.
2. Drop the trimmed green beans into the boiling water and cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes — start testing at 2 minutes. You want the beans bright green and still firm with a distinct snap; they will finish cooking in the pan later.
3. Lift the beans out with a spider or tongs and plunge them straight into the ice bath. Swish for 60 seconds until fully cold, which locks in the green color and stops the cooking.
4. Drain the beans and lay them on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Pat completely dry — wet beans steam instead of sear. At this point you can refrigerate them in a zip-top bag with a paper towel for up to 2 days.
5. When you're ready to serve, put the olive oil and sliced garlic in a cold 12-inch skillet. Set it over medium heat and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic turns pale gold at the edges. Do not let it brown past golden or it will taste bitter.
6. Add the red pepper flakes and swirl for 15 seconds. Scoop the garlic slices out onto a small plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the infused oil in the pan.
7. Raise the heat to medium-high and let the oil get hot, about 30 seconds. Add the dry blanched beans all at once with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Sauté, tossing every 20 to 30 seconds, for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until the beans are heated through and lightly blistered in spots.
8. Kill the heat. Return the garlic slices to the pan, add the lemon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and toss for 10 seconds — the residual heat is enough.
9. Transfer to a warm platter, grind over black pepper, and scatter with the Parmesan and pine nuts if using. Serve immediately, while the beans are still glossy and snappy.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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