Sautéed Green Beans with Tasso Ham

Tasso changes everything it touches. That smoky, peppery cured pork shoulder is one of Louisiana's greatest gifts to the cooking world. You don't need much of it. A few ounces renders out enough flavorful fat to transform humble green beans into something that steals the show from the main course.

My grandmother Evangeline made a version of this every summer when the beans came in from the garden. She'd snap them on the front porch, talking to whoever wandered by, and by suppertime those beans would be swimming with bits of smoked pork and soft onions. At Lagniappe, we serve this alongside blackened redfish and grilled boudin, but it holds its own at any table.

The technique here is about building flavor in stages. You render the tasso first to release that smoky fat. Then the onions go in and caramelize slowly in that goodness. The garlic gets just enough heat to bloom without turning bitter. And the beans? They stay bright green and crisp-tender, just cooked through but still with some backbone. That's the bayou way.