Skillet Green Beans

Brianna's week. The coldest week of the year. Negative four overnight. Truck barely started. Easy week at the plant. The line ran. The body held.

Pop's in the recliner. Tigers on. Sugar in range this week. Sunday at Mama's. She made greens with hambone the way she has since 1985.

Pot roast Sunday. Chuck. Onions, carrots, celery, garlic. Red wine and beef broth. Five hours low.

Aiden's 10. The youth basketball league. I'm coaching. He's the best player on the team and he knows it. Zaria's 8. Helps me cook on a step stool. Has opinions about the seasoning.

I am tired in the right way. The right way is the cost of love. I will pay it.

The block had a small drama Tuesday. Somebody parked in front of Ms. Diane's driveway. Ms. Diane addressed it directly. The car moved within the hour. The neighborhood polices itself on small things.

Mama left me a voicemail Wednesday. She said, "DeShawn. Don't forget Sunday." I had not forgotten Sunday. I have not forgotten Sunday in twenty years. The reminder is the love. I called her back.

Aiden had practice Tuesday and Thursday. I drove. He shot threes for an hour after.

Drove past Jefferson North on Tuesday. The plant is still the plant. The trucks coming out. I waved at the gate guard out of habit. He waved back even though he didn't know me. The plant is its own neighborhood.

Stopped at Eastern Market Saturday. Got chicken thighs, bacon, a watermelon, and a pound of greens that I did not need but bought anyway. The vendors know me by name now. Three of them asked about the family.

A song came on the radio Tuesday — old Stevie Wonder — and I had to sit in the truck for the rest of it before I went into the store. Some songs do that. Detroit is a city of songs that do that.

The Lions on TV Sunday. Lost on a missed field goal. Detroit. The neighborhood collectively groaned at the same moment. You could hear it through the windows.

Truck needed an oil change Saturday. Did it myself in the driveway. Took an hour. The neighbor across the street gave me a thumbs-up from his porch. I gave him one back. Detroit men do not waste words on car maintenance.

A reader wrote in about the smothered pork chops. Said her late husband loved them. I wrote back. I told her about Pop. We exchanged three emails. She's in Saginaw. She's coming to the city in the spring.

A neighbor down the street gave me a tomato plant Saturday. He grows them on his porch. Said he had extra. I put it next to the back step where it gets the afternoon sun. Detroit gardens are improvised victories.

I cleaned the smoker Sunday morning. Brushed the grates. Emptied the ash. Wiped down the body. The smoker repays attention. So does most everything that matters.

I took a walk around the block Sunday morning. The neighborhood was quiet. The trees were the trees. The light was good. I waved at three porches. The porches waved back. Brookline holds.

Plant ran clean this week. The line ran. The body held. The paycheck is the paycheck.

I read for an hour Sunday night. A book about the auto industry. Half memoir, half history. Made me think about Pop and the line and the fragile contract that built the middle of this country. I underlined the parts that hit.

The drive home Friday was the long way around. I took Outer Drive past the lake. The water was still. I do not always notice the water. I noticed Friday.

I bought a pound of greens at Eastern Market on Saturday that I admitted I didn’t need — but I bought them anyway, the same way I always do, because some things you buy out of reflex and respect. Zaria was on the step stool with opinions about the seasoning, and these skillet green beans are the recipe that gives her room to be right. After a week that cold, with the truck barely turning over and the Lions losing on a missed field goal, a cast iron full of something green and smoky cooking down slow is the exact kind of small right thing a Sunday asks for.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped
4 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt to taste

Instructions

Render the bacon. In a large cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until the fat renders and the pieces turn crispy, about 6–8 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel. Leave the fat in the pan.
Soften the onion. Add the diced onion to the bacon fat and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to color, about 4 minutes.
Add the garlic. Stir in the minced garlic and cook 60 seconds until fragrant. Do not let it burn.
Add the green beans. Add the trimmed green beans to the skillet and toss to coat in the fat. Cook uncovered for 3 minutes, letting them pick up a little color.
Braise low. Pour in the chicken broth, add black pepper and red pepper flakes, and cover the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10–12 minutes, until beans are tender but still have some bite. Check once and add a splash more broth if the pan looks dry.
Season and finish. Uncover, taste for salt, and toss the reserved bacon back in. Cook uncovered another 2 minutes to let any remaining liquid reduce. Serve straight from the skillet.

Nutrition (per serving)

Skillet Green Beans — The Side That Tastes Like Sunday