Haricots Verts with Browned Garlic

Slender haricots verts need little embellishment. Here they're tossed with a good dose of browned garlic. Once it's cooked, garlic's flavor mellows considerably. If you can't find the tiny French green beans, substitute regular green beans and increase the cook time in boiling water to five minutes to ensure they're done.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 2  quarts water
• 2 1/2  teaspoons  salt, divided
• 1 1/2  pounds  haricots verts
• 4  teaspoons  butter
• 1/3  cup  thinly sliced garlic (about 1 head)
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped shallots
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Bring 2 quarts water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add beans; cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.

Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, beans, rosemary, and pepper; cook 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

54 (33% from fat)

Fat:

2g (sat 1g,mono 0.8g,poly 0.1g)

Protein:

2g

Carbohydrate:

8.5g

Fiber:

3.1g

Cholesterol:

5mg

Iron:

1.1mg

Sodium:

226mg

Calcium:

45mg