Warm beans and bacon salad

Serve this warm salad with crusty bread as a snack or starter; or as a side dish – it’s especially good with roast chicken or pan-fried cod and some buttery new potatoes.

INGREDIENTS

100g (3½oz) diced bacon or bacon lardons 2 tablespoons oil, plus extra if needed 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced 1-2 tablespoons cider vinegar 300g (10½oz) green beans, prepared as before Freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD

Fry bacon with a tablespoon of oil until golden. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add second tablespoon of oil to pan and fry onion slowly until soft and tinged golden. Steam beans briefly until just tender. Add a drop more oil if necessary, heat briefly, remove from heat and stir in vinegar, scraping up any residue from the bottom of the pan. Add beans, grind over pepper and part toss, part stir, to coat. Serve immediately with the pan juices poured over and scattered with bacon.

Top tip

It’s always worth adding a few fried red onions to plain steamed beans. They go beautifully together