Ingredients: Green Beans
- 2 pounds fresh green beans or haricots verts, tops trimmedr
Ingredients: Shallot Topping
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups vegetable oil
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Ingredients: Mushroom Bechamel
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced small
- 1 1/2 pounds cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon ground Cayenne chili
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
For shallot topping - melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the Panko crumbs and stir while toasting. Remove from heat. Heat the vegetable oil in a pot with steep sides (at least 2 inches deep). Thinly slice the shallots and toss with the flour. Prepare a plate with paper towels to drain the fried shallots. Test the temperature by flicking a drop of water into the oil (the oil should have a spitting reaction), sprinkle in half of the flour coated shallots. Fry the shallots over medium heat (adjusting as needed) until they are crisp and barely golden. Continue with the other half of the shallots and drain on paper towels. Season the fried shallots with salt and pepper.For mushroom bechamel sauce - melt half the butter in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat until browned and the liquid they produce is absorbed. Add the thyme and bay leaf. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and add the remaining butter. When the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk. Next, slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Return the cooked mushrooms to the sauce and season with the salt, pepper and cayenne.
Layer the green beans in a casserole dish with the mushroom sauce and buttered bread crumbs. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake the casserole for 40 minutes until the sauce bubbles and the crumbs are toasted. Garnish the dish with the crisp shallots before serving.
QUICK TIPS For easy meal prep, layer the casserole the day before and chill overnight.