Fancy green beans are a great way to add class and presentation to a special meal. Seasoned, blanched fresh green beans are bundled, wrapped in bacon, stuffed with fromage de chèvre, then baked to delicious perfection. They are fun and delicious, easy to serve, and perfectly pair with Roasted Pork Chops and Garlic Parmesan New Potatoes.
Fancy Green Beans Recipe
Fancy Green Beans
Equipment
- large pot
- large bowl
- baking sheet
- serving plate
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh green beans – trimmed
- 2 cups crushed ice
- 4 slices thick bacon – unflavored
- 2 tbsp fromage chèvre (goat cheese)
- ½ tsp summer savory
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper – ground
Instructions
- Add a tablespoon salt to a large pot of water, and bring it to a rolling boil. Fill a large bowl halfway with the ice, and water. Add the green beans to the boiling water, and blanch for 3 minutes.12 ounces fresh green beans
- Remove and immediately add to the ice water to stop the cooking process. The blanched green beans can be kept in the ice water in the refrigerator until you are ready to proceed.2 cups crushed ice
- Lay out a bacon slice, place a ½ tbsp dollop of cheese on top, then sprinkle with summer savory.4 slices thick bacon, 2 tbsp fromage chèvre (goat cheese), 1/2 tsp summer savory
- Drain the blanched green beans, and dry them with a paper towel. Toss with salt, and pepper. Lay six or eight of the green beans across a bacon slice and roll into a bundle. Place the bundle seam side down on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Repeat for remaining green beans, using additional bacon slices as necessary. Pin each with a toothpick.1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Pre-heat your oven up to 350℉. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked, and the fat is fully rendered.
- Arrange baked bundles on a fancy serving plate. Add a sliced almond on top of each bundle for garnish.
Notes
PRIVATE NOTES
Nutrition
More Information
Holiday Meals
It’s fun to make things a little more special during holiday meals, or special family gatherings. Fancy green beans add a bit of fun and visual appeal to a special meal.
Pot-luck dinners
Holiday pot-luck dinners often include green bean casserole. Next year, bring Fancy Green Beans instead. You will surprise and delight your family!
Portion Control
By wrapping bundles of green beans in bacon, you can make sure that there is enough to go around. Divide the green beans into the right number of bundles for your expected guests. Prepare a couple of extra bundles to cover anyone who wants to go back for seconds.
Cheese options
Fromage de chèvre often is an artisanal French goat’s cheese. It is firm, but soft, creamy and spreadable. It has a tart, slightly sweet, complex flavor that works perfectly with green beans. Some chèvre includes garlic or herbs. While I prefer the plain chèvre, use what you think you might like.
Instead of chèvre, Feta would be a good alternative cheese. Feta is also a goat’s milk cheese. Feta ages in a brine solution. As a result, it is saltier in flavor and a bit more crumbly than chèvre.
Bacon
Bacon and green beans go perfectly together. However, be careful to only use unflavored bacon. Bacon cured in maple for example, would be a bad choice in this recipe. The maple flavor would severely detract from the subtle flavors of the chèvre and summer savory.
Related Recipes
Garlic Parmesan New Potatoes
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