Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

• 750g/ 1.5lb green beans, trimmed and halved

Crispy Fried Onions:

• 2 large yellow onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced (or 3 medium)
• 1/4 cup (35g) flour (plain/all purpose)
• 2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs (Note 1)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 4 cups / 1 litre (approx) vegetable oil, for deep-frying (or peanut, canola oil Note 2)

Creamy Mushroom Sauce:

• 3 tbsp (50g) butter, unsalted
• 360g /12 oz mushrooms, chopped 1cm / 1/3" pieces
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp (35g) flour (plain/all purpose)
• 1 1/2 cups (375ml) vegetable or chicken broth/stock, low sodium
• 1/2 cup (125ml) cream, heavy/thickened
• Pinch nutmeg (or sprinkle of freshly grated)

Steps

Beans:

1. Boil the green beans for 3 minutes, until just tender or as tender as you prefer. Drain and run them under cold tap water to halt further cooking. Steaming is another option.
2. Put the beans onto a clean tea towel, pat dry and set aside.

Crispy Onions:

1. Cover a tray with 3 – 4 layers of paper towels.
2. Coat the onions by tossing them with flour, panko, salt and pepper.
3. Over medium high heat, heat about 2cm / 3/4″ oil in a heavy-based skillet. Dip the end of one onion into it as a test; it should sizzle immediately.
4. Add only some of the onions to avoid overcrowding (see video), and fry for 1 1/2 minutes, or until LIGHT golden brown.
5. Move the onions onto the tray and spread them out rather than piling them up. (Note 3)
6. Fry the remaining onion in the same way (5-6 batches), then set aside to cool without covering.

Creamy Mushroom Sauce:

1. In a skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter and cook the mushrooms in it for 1 minute.
2. Cook with the salt and pepper until the mushrooms start softening (1.5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, until the garlic is golden.
3. Lower the heat to medium and mix in the flour until none is visible.
4. Stir constantly as you pour in half the broth gradually. Once the flour lumps have dissolved, pour in the rest of the broth and the cream, then stir.
5. Stir the nutmeg into the sauce.
6. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally at first and then regularly as the sauce thickens. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon thickly enough to leave a path drawn across it (see video). It will not thicken any further in the oven.

Assemble & bake:

1. Set the oven to 350°F / 180°C (160°C fan) and let it preheat.
2. Pour the beans back into their boiling pot, or use a bowl. Pour the mushroom sauce over them and stir.
3. Pour into a 2.5 quart / 2.5 ltr casserole dish (Note 4) and smooth the top.
4. Sprinkle the onions over the casserole; you may not need them all. Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges bubble and the onions are deep golden. Check at 10 minutes so the onions do not burn (Note 5).
5. Serve right away; consult the notes for the make-ahead option.