Dining

[Recipe]

Heraea chef Doug Bell makes you eat your vegetables

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Heraea’s crispy green beans are a fresh alternative to your standard sports bar snack.
Photo: Steve Marcus

Las Vegas Strip kitchen veteran Doug Bell landed at the Palms’ flashy new Heraea sports bar and restaurant early this year, just in time to throw a massive Super Bowl party. “I think I was in the kitchen three days before and still pulled it off,” he says. The former chef at Gallagher’s (New York-New York) and Stripsteak (Mandalay Bay) was looking for a new challenge, and he found it at Heraea, which is open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch and provides all the food for the Palms Pool.

Sports-friendly snacks like wings, nachos and sliders are among the most popular dishes at Heraea, but Bell is always adding his own twists. The wing sauce, for example, is sriracha and brown butter. “Our appetizers are mostly things you already know you want, just a little more cool and fun and different.” Exhibit B: Bell’s crispy green beans with a sweet chili dipping sauce, easy to make for your next big game party at home.

Heraea Palms, 701-0201. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

Crispy green beans

(serves 4 or more)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. green beans

3 cups flour

1½ cups cornstarch

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup baking powder

Ice water

2 cups oil for frying

Sweet chili aioli ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp. sambal chili paste

1 tbsp. togarashi

2 tbsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. mirin

Method: Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Drop green beans in boiling water and cook until tender (1-2 minutes). Immediately remove and shock in an ice bath. Strain and reserve.

Combine all ingredients for sweet chili aioli in a large bowl and whisk until incorporated, then set aside.

Mix flour, cornstarch, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Fill a pitcher with ice and then fill with 2 quarts of water. Add the ice water (not the ice) to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Tempura batter can be made an hour or two in advance and kept on ice or in the refrigerator.

In a deep fryer or large pot, heat oil to 350 degrees. Place green beans in a large bowl and ladle batter over them. Toss to coat, then drop into the hot oil individually to prevent clumping. Once the green beans are golden brown, remove from fryer, season with sea salt and serve immediately with a side of the sweet chili aioli.

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of editor-at-large at Las Vegas Weekly magazine. ...

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