Caramelized Green Beans

Ingredients

• 1 1/8 pound green beans (fresh)
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 1/2 red onion (sliced)
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• a few turns black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Begin frying the bacon in a large skillet. Start boiling a large pot of water. Place beans in a colander and rinse them well. Snap the ends off of the beans, then snap them in half.

2. 2

   Mix sugar and soy sauce together in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. 3

   After bacon has finished cooking, remove from pan and drain on a paper towel. Drain all but 2-3 tablespoons of bacon drippings from pan (you may not need to remove any if it didn't render that much).

4. 4

   Add beans to boiling water. Place colander in a clean sink. Boil for one minute; you're not cooking them until they're done, just blanching them to take the edge off. After one minute, drain beans in the colander in the sink.

5. 5

   Heat pan with bacon drippings to medium heat. When the pan is hot, add onions and garlic. Give them a quick sauté for 2 minutes, until the onions start to soften. Add the drained green beans. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.

6. 6

   Give your sugar and soy sauce mixture a quick stir, then pour on top of the beans. Keep stir-frying until the beans look shiny and glazed. This will take a few minutes. The sauce will go from liquid to a thicker glaze consistency as water evaporates.

7. 7

   Crumble bacon and add to pan, along with several turns of black pepper. Keep stir frying until the sauce sticks to the beans and the bacon. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to a serving dish and allow to stand a few minutes before serving.