Green Beans with Apple-Smoked Bacon

By Christy Rost

Ingredients:

¾		pound green beans, rinsed and trimmed
3		strips apple-smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼		cup water
¼		cup cider vinegar
3		tablespoons sugar

Steam the green beans in a steam basket in a saucepan filled with ½ inch water until they are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a serving bowl and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until it is crisp, transfer it to paper towels, let it cool, crumble it, and set it aside as a garnish.

Add the water, cider vinegar, and sugar to the hot skillet. Cook 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring to loosen brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat, strain the dressing through a fine sieve, and pour it over the beans. Toss to mix well and garnish with crumbled bacon.

Recipe makes 4 servings.