green beans with balsamic glazed onions

This dish is a great summer into fall side dish as it takes advantage of green beans still in season but captures the richer, toastier vibe of fall. The balsamic and thyme start the palate thinking about the flavors to come. 

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​Green Beans with Balsamic Glazed Onions
Serves 4-6
 
1 lbs fresh pearl onions
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon ground pepper
½  teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme,
½ lbs fresh trimmed green beans
¼ cup olive oil
½  tablespoon Dijon
 
Blanch onions in large pan of boiling water.  Drain & refresh under cold water.  Trim the root ends and slip off the skins. 

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  In a small saucepan, combine ¼ cup of balsamic, butter, vegetable oil, thyme, 1 tsp of the pepper and ½ tsp of the salt and stir over moderately low heat until butter is melted.  In a bowl, toss the onions with the vinegar mixture to coat.  Spread the single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 35 - 40 min, stirring often, until evenly browned. 

Meanwhile blanch green beans until tender in boiling salted water- about 4 min.  Drain and refresh under cold water, then set aside.  In a bowl, combine the olive oil, mustard and remaining vinegar and the rest of the salt and pepper.  Add the green beans and the roasted onions to the dressing and toss well.  Transfer to a large casserole dish (Can refrigerate here), preheat oven to 350.  Cover and bake the room temperature green beans and onions for 20 min until heated through.