How to Cook Green Beans With Toasted Hazelnuts - Holiday How-To's

Despite popular belief, eating your vegetables can be a pleasurable experience. In fact, everyone at the table will want to gobble down their greens with this scrumptious recipe. From the kitchen of the beloved Julia Child, this timeless green bean dish is a staple on most holiday tables, and it's head and shoulders above the standard green bean casserole. The simple flavors of green beans with toasted hazelnuts allow the freshness of the veggies to pop through with a rich buttery finish. Follow the lead of Chef Jamie Roraback from the Hartford, Connecticut, Lincoln Culinary Institute campus to learn how to prepare this perfect side dish.

The key to the perfect finished product is working with great veggies. Find crisp, fresh green beans that are vibrant and sweet. Whether you trim the ends of the beans is up to you, and make sure to choose beans that are all similar in size so they cook evenly. Once the beans are prepared to be cooked, place them in a pot of boiling water. You can cook the beans in batches instead of all at once so the water temperature is able to stay relatively even. Another way to keep the water boiling as the green beans cook is to use a hot iron to return the water to a boil after the beans have been placed into the pot. Monitor the texture of the beans to attain the desired level of crunch; they should be tender with a little crispness.

To make the delicious sauce, melt a generous amount of butter in a pan and add crushed, fresh hazelnuts until they are lightly roasted. This allows the flavor to seep into the butter. Once the beans are done cooking, place them in the pan with the sauce, coating them fully with the hazelnut butter. Finish the dish with some salt and black pepper, and it will be ready to enjoy!