Valentine's Day Dinner: Delicious Side Dish

Trust me on this one.

You've already enjoyed plenty of bread with your fondue, so my starch choice for you is a Tuscan Bean Mash and it's a fine alternative to a potato, rice or pasta side dish. But if you're not feeling adventurous, you can always just serve a baked potato with butter and sour cream. Exciting? No. But also never disappointing. You can't go wrong with a baked potato.

However, if you want to treat yourself to something new, try this recipe. Rick and I first experienced cannellini beans in Italy, and even though neither one of us are huge bean lovers, this Italian staple is amazing and we make it often. Using dried beans instead of canned beans is ideal, but that's a 2 day process because dried beans have to be soaked overnight and then boiled. So I've modified the recipe here using canned beans. If you do use dried beans, prepare them accordingly and proceed making this dish on Valentine's Day.

Tuscan Bean Mash
1 large can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 large bulb of fennel, core removed and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 sage leaves (fresh is best), chopped fine
1 Tbsp. rosemary (fresh is best), chopped fine
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Freshly grated Reggiano Parmesan (don't skimp on this, buy the good stuff)

Heat 2 Tbsps. of olive oil in a dutch oven and saute the fennel and carrots until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute. Add the beans to the veggies. Add the chicken stock and herbs. Stir and cook, smashing the beans a bit with the back of a spoon, and cook until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, and cheese. Serve. Drizzle with olive oil and more cheese.