Garden Green Beans & New Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
I gathered the last green beans while there was still enough afternoon light to find them.
They were tucked among the leaves with their pale seams turned outward, which felt helpful. Bean gathering becomes surprisingly theoretical once the sun drops behind the trees.
Inside, a bowl of small potatoes waited on the kitchen table. Their skins were thin and still marked with soil, despite what I had considered a perfectly adequate brushing.
The onions went into the skillet while the window was still gold.
They take their time.
This is unavoidable.
You can hurry an onion, but it will know. It will become brown in places while remaining stubborn elsewhere, and the entire arrangement will feel tense.
So I kept the heat low and stirred occasionally while the kitchen slowly grew dim around me.
By the time the onions were deep gold and sweet at the edges, I could barely see the pepper grinder.
I turned on the stove light.
Smokey arrived immediately.
Apparently butter, onions, and artificial illumination constitute an official kitchen summons.
He sat beside the table and observed the proceedings with grave interest. I explained that onions are not for cats and butter was not being distributed separately.
He remained in case this policy changed.
It did not.
Garden Green Beans & New Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds small new potatoes
- 12 ounces fresh green beans
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fine salt for the cooking water
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or chives, optional
- 1 tablespoon herb butter, optional, in place of the final tablespoon of plain butter
Prepare the vegetables
Scrub the potatoes gently, leaving their thin skins on.
Halve potatoes that are about 1 to 1½ inches across. Quarter any larger ones so the pieces cook at roughly the same rate.
Trim the ends from the green beans. Leave small beans whole and cut longer ones into pieces about 2 inches long.
Halve the onion from root to stem, peel it, and slice it thinly from root to stem.
Caramelize the onion
Melt 1 tablespoon butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
Add the sliced onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir until the slices are lightly coated, then spread them across the skillet.
Cook for 30–35 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the onion is very soft and deep golden brown. Lower the heat if the edges begin darkening before the onions have softened.
They should taste sweet and look collapsed rather than crisp.
There is no dignified way to rush this part.
Cook the potatoes and beans
While the onion cooks, place the prepared potatoes in a large saucepan and cover them with cold water by about an inch.
Add 2 teaspoons salt and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook the potatoes for 10–12 minutes.
Add the green beans directly to the saucepan and continue simmering for 4–5 minutes.
The potatoes are ready when a small knife slides into the center without resistance but the pieces still hold their shape. The beans should be bright green and tender enough to bite easily, with a little structure remaining.
Drain everything thoroughly.
Finish the dish
When the onions are caramelized, add the drained potatoes and beans to the skillet.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter—or the herb butter, if there is still some waiting in the refrigerator—along with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the black pepper.
Fold everything together gently over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, until the vegetables are hot and the onions have worked their way around the potatoes and beans.
Taste and add another pinch of salt if needed.
Scatter over parsley or chives if you have them and they seem useful. The dish is entirely complete without them.
Serve warm.
By then, the window held only a narrow strip of evening.
There was gold in the onions, gold along the potato skins, and gold from the lamp reflected faintly in the glass. The beans stayed green, which pleased me more than was reasonable.
Smokey inspected the finished skillet.
He received neither butter nor onions.
He did, however, steal my chair while I carried the plates to the table.
The garden is still feeding us.
It has simply begun sending supper indoors.
— Maeve
