It’s the height of Summer and for those of us who aren’t in squeltering heat waves (sorry NYC), the backyard gatherings are on in full force. That means lots of opportunities to show off (or worry over) your best potluck recipe. Now don’t get me wrong, I have all the love in the world for a deviled egg or a good pasta salad, but it’s time to spice it up with a more unique side dish.

Enter these Tarragon Mustard Green Beans. Green beans are in season from late Spring to early Fall, making this recipe work for almost half a year’s worth of potlucks. That’s right. See you there. Eating green beans. All season(s) long. 

If you’re not super familiar with tarragon, it’s time to introduce yourself. She doesn’t bite (although she WILL add a nice bite to this green bean side dish) and I am all for us opening up our herb horizons. Are y’all ready to get your tarragon on? Because I sure am. Let’s do this.

More green bean centric recipes: Farmer’s Market Quinoa Salad + Supreme Veggie Paella + Carrot-Chickpea Slaw Sandwich

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Tarragon Mustard Green Beans

Course: Not So Normal, Side Dish

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Chill Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 6

These Tarragon Mustard Green Beans take just 10 minutes to make, and are the perfect unique side dish or potluck recipe to impress your friends and family.

Ingredients

• 1 lb green beans, washed and trimmed
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling. Once boiling, add in green beans and continue to boil for 2-3 minutes. After 2-3 minutes, remove from heat, drain, and transfer immediately to an ice bath. Fully submerge the beans in the ice cold water. Let chill for 2 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, finely chop your fresh tarragon and add it to a bowl along with the dijon mustard and honey. Whisk together until well combined.

3. Drain and pat dry your green beans and transfer them to a large bowl. Toss the green beans with the tarragon mustard. Season with salt and pepper.

4. EAT UP.

What the heck is tarragon?

Speaking of things that sound fancy and french (see my galette recipe), tarragon might seem intimidating at first. And while it’s used in LOTS of fancy french cooking, it’s also great for all kinds of dishes with bases of potato, egg, and poultry, some seriously yummy sauces, and even as a cocktail garnish.

So here are some icebreaker facts to speed up your intro to tarragon:

• It’s a member of the sunflower family.
• It’s a little sweet and a little bitter (same).
• It smells a lot like anise (but you don’t have to be a black licorice lover to like it, I promise).

You can get dried tarragon all year round, but the fresh stuff is the real deal. It’s around most places during Spring and Summer, but if you live somewhere warmer you might even catch it at the farmer’s market or your local Whole Foods at the end of winter. Look for perky green leaves with pointed tips and experiment away!

blanching basics

Blanching is a great skill to have and an almost impossibly easy one to learn. You’re gonna do it right now. It goes like this.

1. Boil water.
2. Put veggies in boiling water.
3. Remove veggies from boiling water.
4. Put veggies in ice water.

So. Dang. Simple. And super effective. Blanching requires exactly the amount of energy I want to expend on any given summer evening: pretty much zero. And yes, with some vegetables, you will need to prep them by cutting them evenly or what have you, but you even get to skip that for our green bean dish. What a dream.

Beyond the infinite ease of blanching veggies, there are some other reasons blanching has a special place in my heart. Blanching helps keep the color of your produce vibrant. Read: awesome for dinner parties and food photography. You can also blanch veggies before freezing them to help them hold up even longer in the freezer. 

So there you go, your new favorite way to eat green beans in just 10 MINUTES. You’re welcome. xo.