Green Bean Salad with Fried Almonds & Goat Cheese
from https://www.justalittlebitofbacon.com/

This fresh green bean almond salad with goat cheese and dried cranberries is tossed with a simple vinaigrette. It's the perfect salad for any night.

Tip: The almonds get soft if left in the dressing too long. Don’t add them until serving time. Also, the goat cheese will fall apart and make a mess if you toss it too much. Basically, add the nuts and goat cheese at the very end, though you can add the cranberries and parsley earlier if you wish.

Green Bean Salad
1 lb green beans, trimmed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup blanched slivered almonds
kosher salt
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
3 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Vinaigrette
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set it near the sink.

Bring large pot with salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and plunge them in the ice water.

While beans are cooking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small fry pan on medium heat.

Add almonds and saute, stirring frequently, until almonds turn golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer almonds to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle them with kosher salt.

Drain the beans and pat them dry. Add the beans to a serving bowl.

Mix together all of the vinaigrette ingredients until well combined. Toss the vinaigrette with the green beans.

Top the green bean salad with fried almonds, crumbled goat cheese, dried cranberries, and chopped parsley.

4 servings