Haricots Verts with Frisée and Bacon

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Adapted from Andrew Swallow with Ann Volkwein | Mixt Salads | Ten Speed Press, 2010 | Serves 4

Author Andrew Swallow, in his prelude to this frisée salad recipe, notes that “foodies will enjoy the inventiveness of this combination: a snappy sherry vinaigrette on a green bean and cipollini salad with bacon lardons and a balsamic-red wine reduction.” All quite true. However, um, we sort of left something out of our version of this salad recipe: the sweetbread croutons. We consider them more of a chef fascination than a viable weeknight ingredient. Plus, we worry they may put unwanted hair on our chest. Although as Swallow says, “If you haven’t discovered sweetbreads before now, you’re in for something special. They’re a chefs favorite, with a texture and flavor that pair perfectly with bacon—hard not to love that.” We suppose so. We’ve included the croutons as a variation below, in case you feel the same. If, like us, you choose to pass, well, let’s just say we won’t hold it against you.—LC Editors

convert Ingredients
For the salad
1 cup red wine
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 pound haricots verts
1/2 pound cipollini onions (may substitute smallish red onions)
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 to 6 strips thick-cut bacon or 1/2 to 3/4 pound pancetta, cut into lardons (1/2-inch chunks)
4 ounces frisée

For the dressing
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Directions
Make the salad
1. In a large, wide saucepan over high heat, simmer the vinegar and wine until the liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup. Let the mixture cool.

2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Trim the stem ends of the green beans. Blanch the beans in the boiling water until bright green, about 2 minutes. Dump them into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Transfer the beans to a clean kitchen towel.

3. Remove the skins from the onion and cut each onion into 6 wedges. (If using red onions, cut each into 8 wedges.) Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions until lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove them from the skillet. Keep the skillet over medium-high heat, add the bacon or pancetta, and fry until crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

4. Place the frisée in  a large bowl and set aside.

Make dressing
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard. Season with the salt and pepper to taste.

2. Drizzle the dressing over the frisée and toss. Divide the greens among 4 individual plates and top with the green beans, onions, and bacon or pancetta. Season each with salt and pepper and drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Eat!

Variation: Sweetbread Croutons
You can also include lovely little crisped sweetbreads in this salad, if you wish. To do so, you’ll need to start the day or night before serving. Rinse 1 pound of sweetbreads and soak them in water in the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight. The next day, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drain the sweetbreads, add them to the pot, and simmer for 2 minutes. Drain the sweetbreads and let them cool for about 1 hour. Carefully remove the membrane. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Break up the sweetbreads into thumb-size pieces. Add them to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Sauté, turning frequently, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. After about 4 minutes, spoon off almost all of the fat from the pan and add 1 tablespoon of butter and the leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme. Baste the sweetbreads with the butter mixture for about 1 minute. Add to the salad along with the bacon and serve immediately.

Recipe © 2010 Andrew Swallow. Photo © 2010 Sara Remington. All rights reserved.