Spicy Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic

Steps

1. 1Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic, and add to a small bowl. Finely chop half the lemon and add to the chopped garlic; set aside. Thinly slice remaining garlic and lemon.
2. 2Heat the olive oil in a large pot or skillet over medium heat and add the shallot and sliced garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots and garlic are totally tender and nicely browned, 10–12 minutes. Add the remaining sliced lemon and the crushed red pepper flakes, and continue to cook until the lemon has also gotten some color and starts to fall apart a little, 3–5 minutes.
3. 3Add the green beans, and season with salt and pepper, using tongs or a wooden spoon to toss the beans in the gorgeous lemony garlicky chili oil.
4. 4Add about 1 cup of water (this helps the green beans steam and cook down quicker), tossing the beans every now and then, encouraging them to kind of wilt and become tender. Continue cooking and adding more salt and pepper, until the beans go from bright neon green to a deep, truly olive green and are mostly totally softened (a little bite is okay by me), 8–10 minutes. (If your green beans are especially mature, large, or old, they might take longer, so taste as you go, and cook until they’re the tenderness you desire.)
5. 5Remove the skillet from the heat, and add the raw garlic–lemon mixture, tossing to coat. Try to let the green beans sit at least 30 minutes at room temperature before serving, if you can. Finish with parsley and a squeeze of lemon if desired.
6. 6DO AHEAD: Green beans are terrific made a day ahead, but benefit even from 30 minutes in advance.
7. 7LEFTOVERS: You won’t have any, but best eaten cold out of the container. Do not reheat.