Green Bean Salad

Green Bean Salad with Almond Granola
Serves 4

Don’t fret that the recipe for the almond granola yields more than you need for the green bean salad. You’ll enjoy it for breakfast with yogurt and a little honey!

What you need:
1/8 cup kosher salt
½ pound fresh green beans, trimmed
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup Yogurt Dressing (recipe to follow)
1 cup Almond Granola (recipe to follow)
1/8 cup fresh tarragon leaves

Yogurt Dressing
Yields 1¼ cups

What you need:
¼ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup Duke’s mayonnaise, or your favorite brand
¼ teaspoon garlic
¼ teaspoon espelette pepper
¼ teaspoon ground pink peppercorn
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

What to do:
Whisk all ingredients together thoroughly in a medium bowl. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use. This can be made the same day, or 1 day in advance.

Almond Granola
Yields 4 ½ cups

This yields more than you need for the salad. Don’t worry. Any leftover granola is great with fruit for breakfast.

What you need:
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons dried tarragon
2 teaspoons ground pink peppercorns
1 teaspoon espelette pepper
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
3 cups whole blanched almonds
1 cup rolled oats
3 egg whites

What to do:
To make the granola:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking liner or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, tarragon, pink peppercorns, espelette, and sea salt. Add the almonds and oats and toss to thoroughly coat.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the almond granola mixture. Spread the granola out on a baking sheet in a uniform layer, and bake 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown.
Set the baking sheet aside and let the mixture to cool to room temperature. The granola may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 weeks.
To make the Green Bean Salad:
Fill a 4-quart stockpot with 2 quarts cold water, add 1/8 cup kosher salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and cook 3 to 5 minutes. The beans are done when they are bright green and al dente. Drain, and plunge them immediately into a bowl of ice water to cool. Once cool, drain the beans again, turn them out onto a plate or platter, and pat them dry with paper towels.
In a large bowl, toss the beans with the cranberries, ¼ cup Yogurt Dressing, 1 cup Almond Granola, and the tarragon. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately.