French Green Bean Salad

TOTAL TIME:48 hr 30 min

Prep: 15 min

Inactive Prep:48 hr

Cook: 15 min

YIELD:6 servings

LEVEL:Easy

Ingredients

MARINATED LEMONS:

• 3 lemons, thinly sliced
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 3 sprigs fresh oregano
• 1 finger hot chile, halved lengthwise
• Extra-virgin olive oil

SALAD:

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 pound green beans
• Ice water, for chilling
• 8 slices bacon, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the lemons: Toss the lemons and onions with the sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Put the oregano and chile in a glass jar, and then add the lemons and onions and pack tightly. Fill the jar with olive oil. Close the jar and give it a good shake, and then add more oil if there is still room. Close the jar again and refrigerate for 2 days to marinate. Dice 15 slices of the lemons and all the onions.

For the salad: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Blanch the green beans in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and immediately plunge into an ice bath. Drain.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the bacon until crispy, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Add the lemons, onions, green beans, walnuts, bacon and tomatoes to a salad bowl. Drizzle with some oil from the marinated lemons and season with salt and black pepper. Toss and serve.