Best Best Ever Green Beans And New Potatoes Recipes

"BEST EVER" GREEN BEANS AND NEW POTATOES

Steps:

• 1. Half runners have the very distinct feature of a string that runs down both sides of the bean...i find it easiest to snap off one end of the bean and pull the string down then snap the other end and remove the string on the other side....This will help you remove most of the strings but you will never get them all so don't get frustrated...small price to pay for the end result! So, step one is to snap off the ends and remove the string and break the beans into halves, or thirds...then put them in your kitchen sink and run water over them to wash them off
• 2. Dice up your onion and remove the skin off of a 1-2 lb chunk of jowl bacon...salt pork can also be used but I prefer the jowl bacon...slice the jowl in about 1/4 in. slices...put your bacon grease or lard in a large stock pot on med. hi heat, add your jowl bacon and let it get kinda brown on the edges and fry up a little bit...add diced onion at this point as well...Saute onion for about 5 min.
• 3. Put all of your beans into the stock pot, add water just up to the top of the beans (do not cover completely), add salt & pepper (I use about an 1/8 of a cup each of the salt and pepper for optimum flavor but you can adjust according to your dietary allowances and taste. Cover and bring to a hard boil then turn heat down and just cook with a steady light boil on about medium for approximately an hour.
• 4. While the beans are cooking boil your potatoes. Tiny potatoes are rare at the grocery store though the earliest new potatoes at the farmers market can be just this small. I would pick out the smallest red-skinned potatoes available, of similar size so they cook evenly. Cook them whole,(you can peel them if you want, but it can be tedious with potatoes of a very small size) then cut into halves or quarters when tossing with the butter. In a large sauce pan boil till fork tender....drain and add the stick of butter to the potatoes...when melted and your beans are done dump the potatoes (with butter) over into the bean pot and stir...Adjust seasonings and Enjoy!!

GREEN BEANS WITH NEW POTATOES

Steps:

• Remove the ends from the beans. Snap the beans in 2 pieces, place into a colander, wash, and set aside to drain.
• Meanwhile, in a large cast iron Dutch oven, lightly brown the salt pork in the bacon grease over medium heat, turning often, for approximately 10 minutes. Toss the green beans into the pot, stirring them with a wooden spoon to coat well with the pork fat. Add the broth, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook over medium-low heat, covered tightly, for approximately 30 minutes, or until the beans are half done.
• While the beans are cooking, peel a center strip from each new potato with a potato peeler. At the end of 30 minutes, add the potatoes and onion to the beans; add 1/4 cup more broth, if needed. Cook, covered tightly, until the potatoes are tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes, periodically checking the pot to make sure a small amount of liquid remains. When the potatoes are tender, tilt the lid slightly, off to the side of the pot, and continue to cook until the green beans are wilted, approximately 15 minutes. While cooking, add the butter and season with more pepper if needed.

SOUTHERN-STYLE GREEN BEANS WITH BACON AND NEW POTATOES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or medium Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until it has rendered most of its fat and has begun to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the green beans and potatoes and enough water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, then cover the pan and simmer until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary to keep the beans covered. As the beans get close to being done they will become quite fragile, so take care when stirring.