It's almost time for my sister's favorite holiday

That's right, folks. It's almost Thanksgiving and like every other food blogger in the nation, I am rolling out some recipes that you can make on the big day. Here's a great new side dish that is vegetarian friendly (unless the vegetarians are cheese/taste averse - like my family).

Creamed Haricot Vert and Corn Casserole - from Food and Wine magazine

Note: I halved this recipe and it was pretty big. So if you don't have a lot of folks coming over, maybe scale back.

1 1/2 pounds haricots verts, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds oyster mushrooms, thickly sliced - also, I may have used different mushrooms. It was still good.
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large sweet onion, very finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Two 10-ounce packages frozen corn, thawed (4 cups)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk - I used skim milk. That's all I have.
6 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
Freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) - I used regular fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a pot of boiling salted water, blanch the haricots verts until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and cool under running water. Pat dry.

In a very large, deep skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is dry and the corn is just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the haricots verts and keep warm.


Mmmm, vegetables.

In a large saucepan, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and whisk over moderate heat until fragrant and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.


Whisk in the milk until smooth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, whisking constantly, until very thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Gruyère and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.


Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir well. Pour the mixture into a 4-quart baking dish (I cheated and left everything in my dutch oven. I didn't want to wash another dish). In a small bowl, combine the panko with the Parmigiano (or just sprinkle some bread crumbs and then cheese. Again with the dishes!) and sprinkle over the vegetables.


Set the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, until bubbling. Turn on the broiler and broil the casserole for 3 to 4 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.


I ate it all on its own. It was a nice full dish, creamy and savory. I would gladly eat a bowlful.


And I did. Zack liked it a lot as well. I got a text in the middle of the day saying "The mushroom/corn/green beans thing is delicious." Compliments without prompting = good food.