Potato, mushroom and green bean side dish
I can make a meatless meal of this potato and veggie sauté all on it’s own. But if you are serving it with a main course, this yummy combination of vegetables is all you will need on the side. I especially like serving this sauté with steak, roast beef or meatloaf, but it is good with almost everything. It all cooks up in one skillet and it’s done in less than a half hour. If you are a fan of potatoes, mushrooms and green beans on their own, chances are you will love them all sautéed together in olive oil and garlic.
Sauteing is a great way to cook vegetables
I like sautéing vegetables not only because it is quicker and easier than most other methods of cooking, but also I like the idea that most of the nutrients make their way onto my dinner plate.
It’s not just the vegetables and garlic that have a heap of nutrients in a serving of this sauté. Olive oil is a plant based oil that has been shown to be one of the most heart healthy oils to use. Fats have an important role in a healthy diet.
About olive oil
When you are cooking with olive oil, you don’t need to use one that is super expensive. Extra virgin olive oil is always the best choice but a moderately priced bottle is fine for everyday cooking.
Do you know what it means when an olive oil is sold as Extra Virgin? It means the oil was extracted from olives that were picked at the height of ripeness and processed in a manner which did not use any chemicals or additives. The process of extracting the oil from the best olives right after they have been harvested is often called the first press. Even at that, not all the batches in that first press will make the cut. It has to be tested for a specific acid content, flavor and color. Extra virgin olive oil will be the most flavorful olive oil and have the highest level of those things that make it a healthy choice.
When shopping for olive oil
Not all bottles of extra virgin olive oil are the cream of the crop (pun intended). Prices can vary greatly. Your grocery store will most likely have a decent grade of extra virgin olive oil. There are a few commonly known brands. The warehouse clubs have most of the same brands. They are all about the same for the average pallet for cooking.
As always the larger the bottle is, the more economical it is to buy. If you can catch a sale, you can get a 2 liter bottle of extra virgin olive oil for about $10 more than you would an 8 ounce bottle. At the warehouse clubs you can usually find coupons to help with some of the cost.
Buying premium grade olive oils
It’s always nice to have a bottle of a premium olive oil for those times you are using it “raw” out of the bottle, like when you are using it in a salad dressing or to drizzle over a finished pasta dish or for dipping bread. Price is not always the sure fire way to know which premium oils are the best. A little research before buying is a good idea.
There are companies that specialize in olive oils. Some have tasting rooms where you can sample different varieties. I am not talking about flavored oils, although they have those also of course. I visited a store that specializes in olive oil and encouraged tasting.
When you start talking about premium olive oil it’s a whole new world. I just could not believe how many different varieties there were and how vastly different from each other they tasted depending on certain qualities and countries of origin. The oils highest in the compounds that make olive oil beneficial to your health were very strong. They called it peppery and I guess that’s a good enough word for it. Some actually “bite” at your throat when you swallow them. But that is not true of all of the premium oils. Some are mild and very tasty.
As for me I have from time to time had a premium olive oil and I have liked using them, but I have found my everyday extra virgin olive oil is just fine for my dressings, drizzles and dips. My pallet is just not that refined I guess.
Here’s what YOU WILL NEED:
| 2 medium sized russet potatoes or the equivalent of any potato |
| 1/2 pound green beans |
| 1/2 pound mushrooms (any variety you like we used baby bellas) |
| 3 cloves of fresh garlic |
| 1/2 teaspoon salt |
| 1/4 teaspoon pepper |
| 1/4 cup olive oil |
This is WHAT TO DO:
Preparing the ingredients
Trim the green beans by cutting (or snapping) the ends off. Cut them into pieces about 1 inches long.
Kitchen shears make light work of preparing green beans. They are worth having around even if you only use them for fresh green beans, but there are countless jobs they can help with in the kitchen.
Chop the potatoes into bite sized pieces. There is no need to peel the potato, but you should wash them well first. By not peeling the potato, you not only save time, you save the nutrients in the potato skin.
If you bought whole mushrooms, slice them.
Mince the garlic cloves.
The potatoes, green beans and mushrooms are chopped into bite sized pieces and the garlic is minced.
Not sure what chop or mince mean in cooking? Check out Slice Dice Mince and Chop.
We are ready to sauté
Add the olive oil to a 10 or 12 inch skillet. It’s always best to have a heavy bottomed pan. It will conduct the heat more evenly. Turn the burner to medium high and let the oil start to warm. You don’t need to have the oil hot.
Add the garlic, green beans and mushrooms to the skillet let them cook for about 5 minutes. You do not want to brown them. If the vegetables start getting browned turn the heat down a little.
Stay at the stove and stir frequently to get everything cooked evenly.
When the skillet has warmed on medium high heat, add the garlic, green beans and mushrooms.
Sauté for 5 minutes stirring frequently so all the ingredients cook evenly. Don’t let the vegetables brown. If they start browning turn the heat down a little.
Here are the green beans, mushrooms and garlic sautéed in the oil. The green beans do not need to be fully cooked. The potatoes will be cooking for another 15 minutes. The dark green color indicates they have started to cook.
Time to add the potatoes
On medium high heat, add the potatoes, salt and pepper to the hot skillet and cook for another 5 minutes. It’s okay if the vegetables and garlic brown a little bit at this point. But don’t let anything burn. Make sure to keep things moving in the pan.
After 5 minutes of cooking on medium high heat, turn the heat down to medium and cook for another 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes, salt and pepper to the hot skillet and stir well to combine all the ingredients. It is okay if you get some browning on the vegetables and potatoes at this point.
Cook on medium high heat for 5 minutes and then turn down the heat to medium and cook for an additional 10 minutes to finish cooking the potatoes. The saute is done when the potatoes are tender.
When the potatoes are tender your saute is done.
Serve
Potato and Veggie Sauté
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ pound green beans trimmed
- 8 ounces mushrooms any variety .. we used baby bella
- 2 russet potatoes medium sized or any other you like
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- Chop the potatoes into bite sized pieces
- Trim the ends off the green beans and cut into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces.
- Slice the mushrooms if they are whole.
- Mince the garlic cloves.
Cooking Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a 10 or 12 inch skillet on medium high heat for a few seconds just until it is warm.
- Add the chopped garlic, green beans, and mushrooms to the oil and cook for 5 minutes stirring often for even cooking.
- Add chopped potatoes, salt and pepper to the hot skillet. Mix them in well with the green beans and mushrooms and continue to cook on medium high heat for another 5 minutes stirring often. Then turn the heat down to medium and cook for another 10 minutes. Continue stirring as it cooks.
- When the potatoes are tender your sauté is done