Gourmet Green Bean Casserole with French Fried Onion Topping

Happy Holidays Everyone!  Just say NO to canned soup and canned onions.  Once you try this one, you will never be the same.  Here is a fabulous classic holiday side dish recipe that will WOW your friends and family! 

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped
Few gratings fresh nutmeg (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon table salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Brandy

1 to 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved

For fried onion topping:

2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon table salt
freshly ground black pepper
Peanut or other high-heat oil, for deep-frying

COOKING MUSIC SELECTION: Sump'n Claus  

PREPARATION:

Heat oven to 400 degrees f.  For the beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil turn off heat and add the green beans.  Leave them to blanch for 10 mins. while you start the fried onion topping. 

For fried onion topping: Toss onion with flour, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Heat a 1/2-inch or so of oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet until a drop of water flicked into it will hiss and sputter. Add onions, just a handful at a time in something close to a single layer, and fry until a light golden brown. Remove with a large slotted spoon, let oil drip off a little, back into the skillet, then spread onions out on paper towels to drain.

  

Over medium-high heat, melt butter in the bottom of a large cast iron skillet. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté them until they start releasing their liquid. Add the garlic and sauté. Add the flour and stir it until it fully coats the mushrooms. Add the broth, and the Brandy, stirring the whole time. Simmer mixture for 1 minute, then add cream and bring back to a simmer, cooking until the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently.

Assemble and bake: Add cooked greens beans to sauce and stir until they are coated. Sprinkle crispy onions over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and onions are a shade darker. Serve hot ENJOY!