Holiday sides 2: the green beans Ingredients: 1.5-2lb green beans-blanched 2 min 1lb crimini 8oz shiitake 2 yellow onions 5 cloves garlic 5 sprigs thyme 1 fresh bay leaf 3 tbsp unsalted butter 2.5 cups milk 2.5 cups heavy cream 4oz Parmesan 4oz gruyere Salt and pepper Breadcrumbs for top Either chop or run your mushrooms in the food processor until you have a mince. Preheat a pan over medium heat and add a few tablespoons of oil, once it shimmers add your mushrooms and cook for close to 15 minutes, stirring often. The mushrooms will release a bunch of water, then you want to get color on them. A nice deep brown is what you’re going for. Once your mushrooms are done add your butter, onions, garlic, and aromatics. Saute until the onions are translucent, around 5 minutes. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Add a splash of your dairy and scrape the bottom of your pan to pick up all the fond. Then add the rest of the dairy. If you want a smoother sauce you can use an immersion blender to blitz it (that’s what I did) and make sure not to blend the thyme and bay leaf (tying them together makes that easier) Simmer for 20 minutes to ensure the flour is cooked and thickened up all the way. Add in your grated cheese, bit by bit. If you dump it all in you might get clumps. Once all the cheese is in, taste and adjust salt and pepper. Pour over your green beans in a casserole dish and mix well. If you’re prepping this in advance stop here, cover, and throw in the fridge. Pull it out on the day and follow the rest of the instructions as follows. Preheat oven to 350°f/176°c Cover the top in an even layer of breadcrumbs and pop in the oven for around 15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden. Add your fried onions and serve Fried shallots: 5 shallots Oil for frying Salt/pep Slice your shallots around 1/4” thick and place in a small pot and cover with neutral oil. Place it over medium heat and if using a thermometer try to keep it around 350°f/176°c. This will take around 10 minutes and you want to stir often, so don’t walk away from it. Once they start to turn golden-get it off the heat and strain. They will continue to darken as they cool. - @sad_papi