Confit of String Beans With Green Garlic

I had been waiting for a long, cool rainy evening to make this recipe, which has been haunting me since I first read about it on Anapestic. Such an evening was granted early this week. I am here to tell you that I do not regret one second of the three hours I spent cooking these string beans with their weight in deep fat.
The original recipe calls for the vegetables to be cooked at 200 degrees. I do not have a deep fat thermometer, so I just tried to keep the fire as low as possible. My beans look a touch more well-done than those in Anapestic’s photo, and they reduced to about one third of their original volume. I had lots of fresh green garlic, so I used all of that as well. I love having garlic confit around for pasta, and to add to fillings for stuffed squash. They are thrillingly delicious. I am going to make these again an soon as it rains again, probably tomorrow.

Anapestic’s String Bean and Green Garlic Confit

2 pounds string beans, trimmed (You can use up to 2 pounds of beans. In fact, I used only one pound, because I had been using up my beans while waiting for an evening cool enough for a three-hour fry-up)

4 heads green garlic, separated into cloves and peeled.

1 pound butter

2 cups olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Wash and trim the string beans, and peel the garlic, if you have not already done so. Melt half the butter in a large kettle (a cast-iron Dutch oven is ideal) and add the salt, string beans and garlic. Add the remaining butter and, when it has melted, the olive oil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered for half an hour. Uncover and skim the foam from the top. After three hours total cooking time drain the vegetables, reserving the cooking fat. Spoon the garlic cloves into a jar with some of their fat. Store the beans separately, if you do not devour all of them at once.

I have been using the garlic scented oil for cooking eggs and any other items that might be suitable.

These string beans do have a lavish amount of fat, but all their wonder-working antioxidants make up for that, right, Sweetnicks?