Bacon Roasted Green Beans & Shallots

Roasted veggies, I love you. Your crispy golden bits and crunchy pieces on the outside, sweet and caramel-y roasty toasty goodness...how blasted EASY you are to make! You're just about perfect.

Back when I first began roasting vegetables, I started with basic roasted cauliflower and garlic.  Who knew cauliflower could be elevated to such dizzyingly gustatory heights?!  I progressed to butternut squash with just an occasional little tickle of dark brown sugar.  Oh my.  Next I think was broccoli....another winner.  Then green beans...which became my favorite.  Just a simple drizzle of olive oil, a scattering of garlic clove halves, a sprinkle of Kosher salt.  Voila!  

And then one day inspiration struck.  In the form of bacon.  (No surprise there, huh.)  If oil keeps veggies from drying out, wouldn't BACON serve the same purpose?!  Thus the grand experiment was born.  

I lightly sprayed the pan with a little olive oil and scattered the beans.  Bacon was cut crosswise into 1/2" lardons and distributed evenly across the beans followed by chunks of beautiful purple shallots and it was all crowned with a hefty grinding of black pepper.  It felt like it was a recipe for success...and it was.  You might even call it a triumph.  Yeah....I think I just did.

We serve these frequently now, sometimes finished with a little splash of balsamic vinegar.  Sometimes I roast small cubes of potatoes in the same pan along with some garlic cloves, too.  When that's finished off with a little vinegar it becomes a lovely bacon-y roasted potato and green bean salad.  Do some of your own experiments,  see what delightful creations emerge from your oven. I think you'll be quite pleased.  Speaking of please....please share your success stories here...I'd love to hear them!

Bacon Roasted Green Beans & Shallots

Serves 4

• 6 slices bacon, thick sliced, cut across into 1/2" lardons
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed - my favorite kind is the haricot verts (tiny thin green beans) from Costco!
• olive oil spray (I have a Misto filled with my fave olive oil....you control the quality that way)
• 1 shallot, a large clove of it, cut into big pieces so they don't burn - maybe 1/4 cup more or less
• freshly ground black pepper, lots

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a large rimmed baking sheet lightly with olive oil.
 
Spread out the beans evenly on the baking sheet.  Scatter the shallot pieces over the beans and the bacon evenly over the top of everything.  Grind lots of black pepper over the top and roast.  

Close up!

Halfway through roasting - maybe 15 minutes - stir well.  Continue roasting until the bacon is cook and the beans are crinkly.  

Serve!

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