Nutty Greens with Bacon and Blue Cheese

I made this dish to go with our Thanksgiving meal. I thought these beans were unbelievably delicious. At first I got some grumbling that I did not make the traditional "green bean casserole" (BORING!.....but good I must say) but after everyone had tried some there were no longer any complaints. I could not get enough of these. For a healthier version one could discard the bacon drippings and use olive oil but hey, it was Thanksgiving so I was all about the bacon drippings. :)
Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound haricots verts, trimmed
• 3 slices bacon
• 4 ounces blue cheese, cut into small chunks (recommended: Shropshire)
• 1 1/2 cups toasted whole pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the haricots verts and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the water and immediately place in a bowl of ice water. Remove the haricots verts from the ice water and set aside in a medium bowl.

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and place on paper towels. Add the beans to the bacon drippings and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the blue cheese and toss just until it starts to melt. Break the cooked bacon into bite-size pieces and add to pan. Finish by stirring in the toasted chopped pecans. Season with the freshly ground black pepper and just a tiny pinch of kosher salt. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy Claire Robinson via The Food Network.com