Green Beans with Almonds and Thyme

I know there have been a lot of posts today but this one looked so tasty that I felt like I should share.  

Green Beans with Almonds and Thyme

Posted by Elise on Nov 24, 2009
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/green_beans_with_almonds_and_thyme/

Green beans are the labradors of the vegetable world, they just seem to get along with everyone. Which is why you will usually find some incarnation of green beans on a holiday dinner menu. This simple preparation of green beans, with butter, thyme, and toasted almonds, comes from my friend Heidi in Carlisle Mass, and over the years has become one of my favorites.

Green Beans with Almonds and Thyme Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of (fresh or frozen) green beans, trimmed
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Method

1 Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and transfer them to a large bowl of ice water, cooling them completely. (The ice water will shock the beans into a vibrant green color.) Drain the beans well. At this point you can make the beans a day ahead and store in refrigerator.
Alternatively you can steam the beans for 5 minutes and proceed directly to the skillet.
2 Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Whisk in half of the fresh thyme (1 Tbsp), the Dijon mustard and garlic salt into the butter. Add the beans to the skillet and toss until heated through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and the remaining 1 Tbsp of thyme.
Serves 8.