Green Bean & Mushroom Gratin with Comté and Fried Shallots | culture: the word on cheese

Ingredients

• 1 cup canola oil
• ½ pound shallots (about 6 whole, peeled and very thinly sliced)
• 1¾ teaspoons salt (divided)
• 1 pound fresh green beans (trimmed)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 10 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms
• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (divided)
• 1 large garlic clove (minced)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 ounces Comté (shredded (2 scant cups shredded))