Green Bean Casserole with Bacon and Fried Shallots

For the fried shallots:
In a medium bowl that has a lid, whisk together flour, cayenne, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Add sliced shallots. Place lid tightly on bowl and shake the bowl a few times to evenly coat shallots with flour mixture.

Pour canola oil into a medium saucepan to a 1-inch depth and place over medium-high heat. Heat to 325°F, using a deep-frying thermometer. Fry shallots in batches until golden brown and lightly crispy. Take care to not let them get too dark, as they will also bake for a bit in the oven on top of the casserole. This should take about 3–5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and set aside.

For the green beans, bacon, and homemade gravy:
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add green beans. Cook beans for 2–3 minutes, until bright green in color and tender crisp. Drain beans and pour into a large bowl of ice water to stop from cooking. Drain again and set aside.

In an extra large skillet with tall sides, over medium to medium-high heat, fry bacon until chewy-crisp. Transfer bacon from skillet to a paper towel lined plate to drain and cool. Once bacon has cooled, roughly chop and set aside.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet. Return skillet to stove top over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet. Once butter is melted, add the mushrooms and stir to incorporate. Cook, stirring regularly, until mushrooms are softened. Add chopped shallots and garlic, stirring to incorporate. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, until garlic is fragrant.

Now slide everything in the skillet to one side. Add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to other side of skillet. When the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter, whisking all the while. A flat whisk works awesome here. Draw in as much liquid as you can, into the flour. The mixture will be very thick. Let it cook for one minute, until slightly browned and fragrant. Slowly whisk in chicken stock until flour mixture is smooth. Then whisk in the half and half.  Now bring the entire contents of the skillet together, scraping the bottom of the skillet, and folding to incorporate. Turn heat up to medium-high and cook until thickened and bubbly, about 4–5 minutes, stirring periodically.

Remove skillet from heat. Stir in soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Then sprinkle Parmesan, rosemary, and thyme over the top and stir to combine. Now is the time to taste test and add more salt and pepper, if desired. I usually add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper at this point. Fold in blanched green beans. Transfer mixture to a baking dish and place in oven to bake for 30 minutes. Remove casserole from oven and arrange fried shallots and chopped bacon over the top, leaving green beans exposed around the perimeter of the dish. Place in oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until edges of casserole are bubbling and the top is golden. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Note: This is a more time intensive version of green bean casserole than the classic recipe. To save time on Thanksgiving day, this could mostly be prepared the day prior. Simply fry the bacon, chop, place in a container, and refrigerate. Fry the shallots, place in a container, and refrigerate. And prepare the casserole all the way up to placing it in a baking dish. Cover and refrigerate. When baking on Thanksgiving day, remove casserole, bacon, and shallots from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking. Place foil over the dish and bake for 30 minutes at 375°F. Then remove foil and bake for another 5 or 10 minutes, or until center is hot (dip a spoon into the center to test) and edges are just starting to bubble. Then top with bacon and fried shallots and bake for another 5–10 minutes, or until casserole edges are bubbling. To crisp up the shallots, place under broiler for a minute or two.