Green Beans And Potatoes - Classic Recipe and 5 Delicious Variations!
Try this delicious, simple and no-fuss potatoes with green beans. Serve it as a side dish with any main course or add one or more add-ons and turn it into a complete meal.
Servings: 4
Calories: 322kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans , approx 450 g
- 4 potatoes , approx 1.1 lb or 500 grams
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon White wine vinegar , add more to taste
- 1 tablespoon Fresh parsley , finely chopped
- Salt to taste , for this quantity I use ¼ tsp
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start cooking potatoes. In a large pot with cold water add washed potatoes with skin on. Bring to a boil on high heat, add salt. Cook for 25-35 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes until fork tender.
- Infuse garlic in olive oil (optional). Peel and cut garlic cloves in half and place in a cup with olive oil. Let infuse for 30 minutes or more. You'll love the delicate garlicky scent and flavor without having a garlic breath. Of course, if you love a strong garlic taste skip the infusion and add finely chopped garlic directly.
- Prepare green beans. While potatoes are cooking wash and trim green beans. It's easier to trim green beans in small batches. Line them up on one side and trim off the ends with a sharp knife. Flip the beans around, line up the tips again, and trim off the other side.
- Remove potatoes from the pot, cool. Once potatoes are cooked, remove them from the pot and let cool on the plate. I like to scrub the skin with the knife to help cool faster and evaporate excess moisture.
- Cook green beans. Add trimmed green beans to the same pot with hot water where potatoes were boiling. Cook for 3-5 minutes once the water starts boiling again. Depending on the variety of green beans it might take a little more or a little less but the most important things is to NOT overcook them. My best tip is to taste them at 3-minute mark. They should still be crunchy but don't taste raw.
- Cool green beans. Drain green beans and put them in a bowl with ice water to stop the cooking process. If you don't do that the residual heat will continue to cook them and turn green beans brown or dull-looking. If you don't have ice you can rinse them under cold water.
- Finish the dressing. Remove garlic from olive oil (if you put it earlier to infuse). Add white wine vinegar, pinch of salt, pepper and finely chopped parsley. Mix or shake everything in a jar.
- Put everything together. Put green beans and potatoes cut in wedges in medium-size chunks in a bowl, top with dressing and more fresh parsley.
Notes
See the Step By Step Pictures for a visual walk-through of the recipe.
Top Tips
- Cook potatoes faster. Add already peeled and cut potatoes in hot water. But ONLY if you're in a hurry. This way potatoes will cook faster but there's a higher risk of breakage.
- Don't overcook green beans. Unless you want mushy beans of a brown color. You want to drain green beans still on a crunchy side to keep their bright green color and texture. For this reason you want to put them in a bowl with ice water to stop the cooking process. Alternatively rinse them in cold water.
- Don't overdo the vinegar. Start with the recommended amount, mix, taste and add more only if needed. You can also place a bottle of vinegar at the table so that each person can adjust it to their taste.
- canned tuna or salmon
- cherry tomatoes cut in half
- green or black olives
- thinly sliced red onion
- boiled eggs cut in quarters (as the last ingredient)
Nutrition
Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 1149mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 871IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 3mg