There was one good thing about those green bean casseroles. It wasn’t the beans, which tasted metallic, like the inside of the can where they’d been biding their time before being drowned in Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup. It was the crunchy onion topping.
Fried shallots are the grown-up version of those. The ingredients are more straightforward — shallots, oil, and salt, without the flour and dextrose, and the texture is more delicate.
There’s nothing to them, except that they take a good half hour of your attention. If you get distracted, you’ll mess them up. They need to be carefully sliced so they’ll brown evenly, removed from the pan while still golden, and well drained so they’ll keep without going soggy.
Peel six large shallots and slice them thin — about 1/8-inch thick. Add them to a cup and a half of peanut oil in a saucepan and heat gradually until the shallots sizzle and begin to take on color. Fry them gently, stirring with a fork so the rings separate, and keep an eye on them. The shallots should become golden evenly.
Have at the ready a strainer set over a bowl. Pour the shallots into the strainer when they’re just golden brown because they will continue to cook a little after you’ve removed them from the heat. Then spread them onto paper towels to soak up as much oil as you can. Season with salt. As they cool, they’ll crisp up. Use right away or store in an airtight container.
Crispy shallots can be made ahead of time and add an aromatic, almost meaty crunch to the congee Edouard Fontenot writes about this week. They’re also right on other creamy soups, winter salads, steaks, burgers, ramen with tofu … maybe even on hot buttered green beans. —Teresa Parker
