Pan-Roasted Green Beans with Golden Almonds

YIELD: 4 servings

TIME: About 30 minutes

- 8 ounces green and/or wax beans, trimmed

- ¼ cup blanched whole almonds, coarsely chopped

- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

- 1 large shallot, minced

- 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, thinly sliced

- 1 lemon

- Kosher salt

- Freshly ground black pepper

1. Prepare Beans:

- Bring large pot of water to rolling boil

- Add salt (about a teaspoon, to taste)

- Fill large bowl with ice and water

- Add green beans to boiling water

- Cook until bright green but still firm, about 2 minutes

- Drain and transfer to ice water

- When cool, drain again

- Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels

2. Prepare Almond Topping:

- In small saucepan, combine almonds and oil

- Add more oil if needed to just cover almonds

- Cook over medium heat until almonds are golden, about 6 minutes

- Remove from heat

- Stir in shallot (it will cook in residual heat)

3. Pan-Roast Beans:

- Coat large skillet with oil

- Heat over medium-high until very hot but not smoking

- Add beans

- Season with salt

- Cook, tossing frequently, until charred dark brown in spots and tender-crisp, about 7 minutes

4. Finish and Serve:

- Top beans with almond mixture

- Add parsley

- Grate zest from quarter of the lemon directly over beans

- Cut remaining lemon into wedges for serving

- Season with pepper

- Serve immediately

- Beans should be completely dry before pan-roasting for best charring

- Almond-shallot topping can be made slightly ahead

- This topping works well with other vegetables too

- Charring adds a smoky richness to the beans

_For best results, serve immediately while beans are still warm and crisp

Recipe adapted from "Home Cooking and Jean-Georges"_