Fresh beans are infinitely better than the canned version. The addition of bacon makes this side dish out of this world (bacon has a way of doing that . . . )
Source: Simply in Season
Hot German Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds green beans (cut into 1-2 inch pieces)
- 3 slices bacon
- 2 Tbsp sugar (could probably substitute honey or maple syrup here)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 small onion (sliced)
- 1/4 C cold water
- 2 tsp cornstarch (could probably omit this if you are anti-cornstarch, as some people are)
Instructions
- Cook green beans, either by steaming or by boiling, covered, until just tender. Drain, reserving 1/4 C cooking liquid.
- Meanwhile, in large frying pan, fry up the bacon and drain all but 2 Tbsp of the drippings. Set bacon aside and crumble.
- Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and onion along with the reserved cooking liquid to the bacon drippings in the fry pan.
- Mix cold water and cornstarch until dissolved. Add to fry pan with the sugar mixture and drippings and cook until it's thick and clear, stirring constantly. Mine never quite thickened up but I was making a couple of other things at the time so it may have been due to inattention. Add beans and bacon and stir and serve.
The Verdict: I really, really liked how the bacon and sweetness complemented the fresh beans. Simply in Season says you can also eat this cold, but I’m not sure I’d like that. Now I’m wishing I had taken the time to freeze beans this summer as this would be a great Thanksgiving side dish. Canned beans would be too mushy for this recipe, I think.
This recipe shared at Monday Mania
What ingredient(s) makes this dish “German”?
Thanks
Good question! That was just the name of the recipe. So I did a little Googling, and turns out it’s based on a classic German salad called Schnittbohnensalat.