I have to admit that when it comes to vegetable side dishes, my repertoire is somewhat lacking. I used to be so good about eating my veges, but they got expensive, I got lazy, and it turns out that chips taste so much better. Who knew?
Anyway, while picking out recipes for the week, I came across a review for the garlic beans, claiming they were the best fresh vegetable dish at Disney, that they were addictive, and that they'd make even confirmed vege-phobics ask for more. Seeing that it was a daring claim, I figured I'd have to give them a try.
The upshot? These beans were pretty good. Pretty darn good. In fact, they were so good that my son ate all of his, plus another whole serving before even touching his meat. If you can get my son to ask for more green beans, that's an accomplishment in and of itself. Considering that beans can get pretty cheap and these were painfully easy to make, I'm almost ashamed I had to find a recipe to be inspired to make them.
This recipe has a very "old" feel, not old in a bad way, just old as in it feels like the chef created for the menu back in the 80s and there it stayed. It turns out my old cooking style hunch was right... These were added to the menu and there they've stayed, served with various dishes, every year that they've been in season, with only one change being made to the recipe. When it was originally served, it was cooked in butter, and a lot of it. Now, Disney opts for the healthier olive oil. Having tried both, it is my expert opinion that they are both great... But butter is better. This dish is also occasionally made with both yellow wax and green beans. For those who want to go that route, simply substitute half the green beans for yellow wax beans.
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Garlic Beans
As is served at the Liberty Tree Tavern, Magic Kingdom
°o° 1/4 pound carrots, shredded
°o° 1 tbs fresh garlic, minced°o° 1 tsp Kosher salt
°o° 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Add olive oil to a very hot saute pan. Once the oil is hot, add green beans, carrots, and garlic. Toss to mix all ingredients and coat with oil. Cook to desired doneness/crispiness. Beans that are larger will take longer to cook, while beans that are shorter will cook quicker and become less crisp the longer they're cooked. Season with salt and pepper, using more or less according to tastes. Serve warm or cold and drizzle some of the cooking liquid from the pan on servings for additional flavoring (like a dressing).
Serves 4
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