One of the cardinal rules of entertaining is to never serve something you haven’t made before. Almost every time I have guests, I serve something I’ve never made before. I always think This will be the perfect time to try that new recipe! So we had my family over for Christmas dinner last year, and I got a wild hair and bought some fresh green beans. I’d never cooked fresh beans before, so instead of researching and practicing a recipe, I just did what I thought sounded good, and in the words of Tedi (an honorary family member), “These beans are divine!” I now have a large bag of frozen green beans, and I make these all the time.
1 lb fresh or frozen green beans1 T(ish) butter
garlic salt to taste
Blanch green beans (toss in boiling water for a minute, then remove to an ice bath). Or just steam or boil them, and drain well. Saute (immediately if not using an ice bath) in the butter and garlic salt until desired tenderness. Serve warm.
*I tried sauteing canned green beans once just to see how it would turn out. As you probably expected, it was gross.
*I cook as much as I think we’ll eat. Adjust butter and garlic salt accordingly.
