Today I whip up Alton Brown’s Green Bean Casserole. Yes, it is February. Yes it would be better if I had fresh green beans, but it sounded good so I went for it. Oh yeah and that and it’s really easy!

The Program

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half

The Prep

O.K. there is nothing to prepping this one. So I’ll talk a little bit about a substitution that I made in this recipe. We didn’t have any half-and-half, but we did have some whipping cream and we always have skim milk. If you like it rich (and fatty) keep it simple and do 1 part cream to 1 part skim milk. It’s has a bit more fat than half-and-half, but if you like the taste and mouthfeel of cream go for it. If you prefer it to be a little closer to half-and-half the ratio is around 5 parts skim to 3 parts cream. I’ll be honest, I eyeballed it!

The Process

First up, you need to blanche the beans then get them in some ice water until you’re ready for final assembly. After that saute the mushrooms until they start to give up their liquid which you need when you add the nutmeg and flour to make a roux. After cooking the roux for a minute or so, add the broth to deglaze. Simmer that down a bit and add your half-and-half. After simmering the sauce until it starts to thicken, add the beans to the sauce, stir then transfer to your baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or so at 400F.

The Payoff

I’ve always been a fan of green bean casserole. I love all the elements individually so it makes sense that they go so well together. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the best green bean casserole I’ve ever had, but it is pretty good. And, I think there’s a chance to make it even better in the summer when I can get my hands on fresh green beans.

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