Long Fusilli With Potatoes and Haricots Verts in Lemon Sauce

By amt2mf

Ingredients

• 1 pound mixed baby fingerling potatoes, such as red, gold, and purple, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 10 ounces haricots verts, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 pound long fusilli, cooked until al dente (1 1/2 cups cooking water reserved)
• 2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (4 ounces)
• 1 lemon, zested into strips and sliced into matchsticks (2 tablespoons), and juiced
• 1 cup torn fresh basil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 45mins

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare an ice-water bath. Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a bowl using a slotted spoon; pat dry. Add haricots verts to boiling water. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, and transfer to ice-water bath. Drain.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic until golden, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and haricots verts; toss to coat. Add reserved cooking water, the cheese, and the lemon zest and juice. Simmer until cheese melts. Toss in pasta, basil, and red-pepper flakes.

Follow these steps when you cook the pasta for this dish: Bring a large pot of water (6 quarts) to a boil -- you want enough water so the pasta can move around. Season the water with 1/4 cup coarse salt. (The water should be well seasoned; think "salty like the sea.") Cook 1 pound of pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving at least 2 cups cooking water. The pasta releases starch as it cooks, and the starchy water is essential to the sauce.