Weeknight · Summer into autumn
Skillet Green Beans and Potatoes
One pan, garden beans or market beans, and supper that does not ask you to perform.
40 minutes · Serves 4 · 4 plates
“She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.”
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ lb baby potatoes, halved
- 1 lb green beans, trimmed
- 3 tbsp olive oil, bacon drippings, or tallow
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 4 sprigs of thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
- ½ lemon, optional
Method
- 1
Put the potatoes in a wide skillet with a half inch of water and a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer until just tender, about 12 minutes. Drain.
- 2
Return the skillet to medium-high heat with the fat. Add the potatoes, cut side down, and let them brown without stirring for 4 minutes.
- 3
Add the beans, garlic, salt, and thyme. Toss every few minutes until the beans are blistered in spots and tender, 8 to 12 minutes. Add a splash of water and cover for a minute if they threaten to scorch.
- 4
Finish with lemon if you want brightness. Serve as a light supper with bread and cheese, or beside the roast chicken.
From the kitchen
- Older beans from the end of the season need a few minutes more and a lid. Young beans need less. Taste one.
- Children can trim the beans. It is real work, not a craft project, and the skillet will show their help.
My note
Kept on this device, beside the recipe, for the next time you cook it.
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