Growing up we rarely ate green beans. When we did, they were sautéed in oil and garlic and while they were good that way, it wasn’t something I was overly excited to eat. Fast forward a decade or two and I decide to roast some frozen asparagus in the oven for ease while making a few steaks. To be honest, I completely forgot about them and overcooked them. What I pulled out of the oven, slightly charred, very browned, intensely crispy, was a revelation. They were hearty and crispy and salty. They tasted much like, dare I say it, french fries!

I made them often in the weeks and months after that, but asparagus, even frozen ones, are a bit pricey and I got a bit tired of them. One day while shopping at Trader Joes I saw that they sold french cut green beans which looked like they’d be fantastic roasted much like the asparagus had been. Figured, may as well give it a try. I loved them even more than the asparagus and to this day, if I make a batch, I need to make a double batch because my family and I stand around the plate and eat at least half of them before they make it to the table. It’s happened more than once that we’ve eaten the whole plate before we sat down for dinner. Now, if vegetables can disappear that quickly and greedily, I thought, I needed to share it with others. The best part is, it’s a terribly simple recipe and practically cooks itself. There are only two things you need to be mindful of; first, that you spread them in one layer. If you stack them on top of each other they will not crisp up and second, you need to watch them toward the end so they do not burn.

Ingredients:
Green Beans – enough to cover two sheet pans
Olive Oil – enough to cover two sheet pans
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Pre-Heat Oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit
2. Line sheet pan with aluminum foil to reduce the washing up
3. Brush/spray olive oil on the bottom of the sheet pan to evenly coat
4. Spread the green beans out in a single layer. Try to leave a bit of room between them for the heat of the oven to kiss them all over and render them crispy.
5. Brush/Spray with oil and sprinkle evenly with salt.
6. Add to the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes. If you have more than one sheet pan in the oven, rotate them half way through.
7. Remove from the oven when crispy. Be careful they don’t burn on you. You’ll know they are done with there are a few fully deep brown ones around the edges of the pan.
8. Apply to face