Roasted Garlic Green Beans with Lemon and Parmesan

gluten-free // yields 6-8 side dish servings

ingredients:

1 medium head of garlic

2 1/2 tablespoons melted ghee, or olive oil

2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed

1/3 cup sliced almonds

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

salt + pepper

directions:

Preheat your oven to 375* F. Slice about 1/4 of the top end of your garlic clove off [not the stem end] and peel away the outer layers. Place on a sheet of foil and drizzle 1-2 teaspoons of melted ghee/oil over top then sprinkle with salt. Secure in the foil and place in your oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown and tender. Open and let cool for 10 minutes, then squeeze the stem end to release the cloves. Chop the roasted cloves.

While the garlic is roasting toss the beans with remaining melted ghee/oil and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and roast for about 32-38 minutes until starting to brown. Toss once or twice while roasting.

While roasting place a dry medium-sized pan over med-low heat. Add sliced almonds to the pan. Watch closely and stir frequently until just starting to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

Once beans are done roasting toss with lemon juice, lemon zest, and chopped roasted garlic. Spread onto a platter and top with parmesan, toasted almonds, and more salt + pepper if desired. Serve immediately.

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This recipe is for the husband.

As of Sunday morning we had a full bag of fingerling potatoes sitting on the counter. I asked Chris what I should do with them. Being the salt + vinegar lover that he is, he suggested some sort of mashed salt + vinegar potatoes.

And then my wheels were turning!

With a whole head of kale sitting in the fridge, it was the next obvious addition.

Chris is a salt + vinegar chip fanatic. He’s also known to douse fresh cut fries in malt vinegar, something that was completely foreign to me when we met. I used to be disgusted by this, but after stealing fries off his plate for the past 9 years I’ve come to enjoy the tangy taste.

You have 2 options with these mashed potatoes.

You can mash them together, dig in with a spoon, and call it a day…

Or, you can mash them together, form them into balls, coat them with a little more salt + vin, and broil them to form a nice golden crust on top.

Or, like me, you can choose both.

You know, eat a scoop, form one scoop into a ball, eat a scoop, form a second scoop into a ball. And repeat.

As I mashed the kale into the potatoes, I realized the mixture looked similar to my mashed potato spinach patties. Complete coincidence! I’ve never made a recipe like either of these in the past, but somehow I make two that are quite similar in one week??

Don’t take the time to question it.

Just sit down and eat.

Print this!

Salt + Vinegar Kale Mashed Potatoes

yields 24-30 2-bite balls

5 cups fingerling potatoes, cubed
4 cups kale, thinly sliced
1.5 teaspoons garlic, minced
6 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
1.5 Tablespoons ghee/butter
1/2-3/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
toppings: apple cider vinegar, coarse sea salt, parmesan cheese [opt]

Steam the washed + cubed potatoes for about 10-15min until creamy + tender.
Mash together in a large bowl with the 1/2T ghee, vinegar, and 1/2t salt.
Add the milk and continue to mash until desired consistency is reached.
In a large pan, heat 1/2-1T ghee over medium heat and add the sliced kale once hot.
Stir frequently for 2-3min until just wilted and stir in the garlic for 30sec.
Immediately add to potato mixture and mash to combine.
Taste and add 1/4t more salt if desired. Remember you will be topping with more salt before baking.
Set your oven to broil on low with a rack at the top position.
Place about a 2-3T sized scoop of the mixture into a mini muffin pan mold. Loosely shaping into a ball.
Repeat until all are filled, or place on a large baking sheet.
Pour 1/4-1/2t vinegar over the top of each ball and sprinkle with sea salt. Sprinkle on cheese if desired.
Broil on low for 10-15min until golden brown. Watch your oven closely as all broilers are very different. Broil over high for the last 1-3min if necessary.
Balls should easily remove from the pan with the help of a spoon or fork.

notes: Malt vinegar should also work for this recipe. If you can’t find fingerling, sub another creamy potato. Can easily be made vegan with Earth Balance.

You can thank Chris for this one!

It’s Monday.

Eat something delicious and tell me about it.

Ashley