Alright, so I know that I should ban bacon from my diet. It has sugar and all those nasty nitrates, but I just can’t (or won’t) give it up because it’s just too tasty. If I knew that eating bacon would bring dire consequences, then maybe I’d consider giving it up, but for now I stick to using it sparingly in dishes where I feel the flavor is truly enhanced by its presence. And sometimes I just munch a whole piece or three.
I love simple, flavorful side dishes, and this warm green bean and potato salad is tasty and pretty quick to make. A bit of bacon adds flavor, but I think the salad would still be quite good without the bacon. The only issue that I have with the original recipe is that it contains no mention of draining the bacon fat from the pan before adding the other ingredients, but I had to soak up most of the fat because, otherwise, I felt that the entire dish would be swimming in it. I like bacon fat, but even I have my limits.
adapted from Everyday Food, November 2009
Ingredients
1 lb. red new potatoes
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
kosher salt and ground pepper
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
1. In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with at least 2 inches of salted water. Bring to a simmer and cook about 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork tender. Drain.
2. In a large nonstock skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the potatoes and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, mashing potatoes slightly with a spoon or potato masher, until golden brown in spots, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm.
3. Add bacon pieces to the skillet and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the skillet, and add the green beans. Cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Return the potatoes and bacon to the skillet, add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and toss gently to combine. Return to serving dish and serve warm.
Posted in Food, Gluten Free, Side Dishes | 5 Comments »
mmmm…. I love potato salads but always find they are in need of something green and the fabulous saltiness of bacon with potatoes is always lovely. Don’t eat bacon too often and I’m sure you’ll be fine. Afterall something THAT good can’t be good for us ALL the time!
posted: March 3rd, 2010 at 9:07 pmCompletely agree, Jas. Everything in moderation, right? Well, except the stuff you’re allergic or intolerant to.
posted: March 4th, 2010 at 6:40 pmThank you so much for the recipe! It was a total hit during dinnver last night! My husband, who hates green beans, loved it and had seconds!! And my mother in law asked me for the recipe (which is a first!) It was delicious…!! Thanks!
posted: March 11th, 2010 at 4:03 pmI’m so glad that it was a hit, Sofia!
posted: March 12th, 2010 at 2:35 pmThank you for this recipe. I served it last night and it was a hit! I shared it on my blog today, mentioning your post.
http://www.yallcomeeat.com/2011/10/warm-green-bean-and-potato-salad.html
posted: October 18th, 2011 at 11:35 am