Spicy Charred Green Beans with Scallions

Serves two to three as a main dish

1/2 lb robustly flavored sausage, like italian or kielbasa (in the photo above, the sausage is a veal/pork/smoked duck version I got at Savenor's - really yummy)
2 T soy sauce
1 T rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 t granulated sugar
1 T red pepper flakes (or less if you like less heat)
1 T canola or peanut oil (butter or olive oil will burn in the high heat)
1 t canola or peanut oil
3/4 lb green beans, stemmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
6 scallions, white and bottom portion of green, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced

For uncooked sausage, I slice the links into half-inch pieces. Heat some oil in the skillet, then add the sausage. Cook until done, flipping as needed. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl or plate and keep warm; set aside. Wipe out the skillet.

[ You could also broil or braise the sausage in whole links. When cooked through, let the meat cool a bit then slice the links lengthwise in two halves. Then slice each half into half-inch pieces. Keep warm; set aside.]

Mix soy, vinegar, sugar, pepper flakes and one tablespoon water in a bowl; set aside.

Heat 10-inch skillet (12-inch would work fine) until very hot, around four minutes. Carefully add two tablespoons oil and swirl then immediately add beans. Flip them with a spatula every 30 seconds or so; they'll start to char almost immediately so keep a close eye on them. Cook for four minutes, then add scallions and keep cooking in the same manner for another four minutes.

Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan and add the teaspoon of oil. Immediately add the garlic and mash with the spatula. After five or ten seconds, stir the garlic into the vegetables. Turn the heat down to medium, add the sausage and stir to combine. Add the liquid mixture; it will sizzle and reduce very quickly in the hot pot. Turn off the flame and let the dish sit a few minutes so the flavors can combine then serve. Goes great with rice!

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