Charred Green Beans with Ginger Butter

At a recent end-of-summer party I threw, I prepared a multitude of dishes to celebrate fresh produce coming out of the markets. One of them was charred green beans with ginger butter, inspired by Bon Appétit's Summer Beans with Miso Butter (a part of the Healthyish Farmer's Market Challenge this summer). The original recipe can be found here.

In my recipe, I use around a pound of french beans, which are a thinner, shorter variety of the green bean. These cook much faster, perfect for achieving a light char while leaving a slight bite in the beans after cooked.

Allow a large skillet to get pretty hot over medium high heat. I used little oil when cooking the beans as I wanted them to develop dark charred spots. Add in the beans and toss. Don't touch them too much; you want color to develop. Season with salt and continue tossing until charred and tender.

For the ginger butter, I mixed together about 3 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter with a grated thumb size piece of ginger. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt to season the butter and spread onto a plate. Add on the green beans and top with sesame seeds for an extra crunch. Serve immediately.