Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

1 lb. green beans with the ends snapped off (buy or pick about 1 1/2 pounds so you'll have 1 lb. after the beans' ends have been snapped)
8 slices lean, regularly sliced bacon
3 Tbsp. real butter (no substitutions!)
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 Tbsp. minced red onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

When the water is boiling, briefly boil (blanch) the beans for 2-3 minutes or until you start hearing a popping noise and the beans have turned bright green. Quickly drain and rinse in cold water until the beans have cooled.


If you're planning on completing the beans immediately, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a cookie sheet, divide the green beans evenly into 8 piles.

Carefully bundle each pile of beans with one slice of bacon and return to the baking sheet.

This step can be done up to a day ahead of time.

When the oven is ready, place the pan in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and sizzling. While the bundles are in the oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. When the butter is bubbly, add in the onions and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are softened and fragrant. Reduce heat to low and add in vinegar, sugar, and salt. Remove from heat and set aside.

When ready to serve, place bean bundles on a serving platter and drizzle with sauce. Serve immediately.

From Our Best Bites.

Notes:

1. These were really good. Brent thought he was in heaven. Maybe it was the bacon.
2. You only use a small amount of onion so you might want to find another recipe so you don't waste a whole onion.
3. These were not as savory as I thought they would be. Once I got over the fact that they weren't going to taste like bacon wrapped little smokies, they were very tasty!
4. I only used 12 oz of beans and got 12 bundles.