Sunday, April 17, 2011

Herbed Potatoes and Green Beans


Side dishes can fall in a bit of a rut around here. I have certain standby recipes that I make constantly, but typically I leave my creativity to the main course. However, in my opinion, side dishes make or break a meal! I have been known to like a place more for their side dishes then for their entrees, aka Bonefish Grill- I love their rice, but their entrees don't do it for me as much as the rice!

This dish came together as a bit of an experiment. I had the potatoes, I had the green beans, and originally the plan was to roast the potatoes and stream the green beans. Being lazy, I decided to throw it altogether and see what happened. I'm so glad I did! This was really delicious. John and I were both fans! It cooked perfectly, the potatoes were soft, the green beans were firm, and the sauce nicely coated it all. Best of all this is very low fat, but it tastes rich. The chicken broth thickens up so nicely that you'd almost think there was cream in there. Definitely worth making, I can assure you we'll be having it again!




Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

**One tip- When making this, a lot will depend on the heat you cook it at, the size of the pan, and how small you dice your potatoes. I have included two rounds of adding chicken broth and letting it steam. If you need to do that step more or less, that's fine. Just test the potatoes/green beans for tenderness as you go.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
12 ounces potatoes, diced evenly (3 small Russet, about 5 red potatoes, etc. Any potato is fine)
1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed
Chicken broth (amount will vary- have at least 2 cups on hand)
1/2 tbsp  dried minced onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
Paprika
3 green onions, finely diced
Salt/pepper

Directions:
1- In a large nonstick skillet with a lid, spray the surface with cooking spray.
2- Turn the heat up to medium high, add the potatoes.
3- Flip after 5 minutes, or when golden, and brown the other side.
4- Pour in a layer of the chicken broth until it covers halfway to the top of the potatoes, about 1 cup. Cover and allow to steam over medium/low heat for 5-10 minutes, until liquid is almost absorbed. Test with a fork to see how firm the potatoes are.
5- Add more broth, again about halfway up the potatoes. This time add the green beans and the minced onion, onion powder, garlic powder, and a sprinkling of paprika. Stir well. Replace the lid and allow it to steam again, about 5-10 minutes, checking often.
6- Once the veggies are cooked through, raise the heat to reduce the chicken broth. As it thickens, stir well to coat all veggies.
7- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with minced green onions, stirring well to incorporate.

6 comments:

  1. I have the same problem with sides. I save all my energy and creativity for the main meal and use the same sides in rotation. I'm trying to step outside of the box more!

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  2. This looks really good! My husband is obsessed with green beans, I'll ahve to try it.

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  3. Also- this is nosy, but I didn't know you were a teacher too. What grade do you teach?

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  4. This is one of my favorite combos, Stephanie! YUM!

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  5. Hey Lauren! Not nosy at all! I teach 5th. I taught 1st all along, but this year I moved to 5th. What do you teach?

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  6. I teach firsties! I taught 2nd for a year and I've taught 1st for the past three years.

    Moving from 1st to 5th must have been a bit of a shock- that's a huge jump! I'd like to move up to third to see what it's like to teach kids with a little more independence and experience under their belts.

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