Southern Country Green Beans and New Potatoes
My Aunt Jane left me a post on my Facebook wall the other day saying “I made your Southern country red potatoes and green beans recipe today…yummy!”
I confess, it’s been so long since I’ve made these, I had to stop and think about what she was talking about. I learned to make this shortly after I moved here from Michigan by my kids great grandma Mamoo, who knew how to cook all kinds of traditional Southern homemade goodness.
And it made me remember and crave them.
Slow cooked together in one giant pot, these are so easy and delicious, all you have to do is grill some meat to go with them and maybe toast up some crusty bread or rolls to serve on the side.
Start by tossing two ham hocks into a large pot.
What are ham hocks you say? Do you live above Tennessee on the map? I didn’t really know either until I moved down here to Oklahoma.
Ham hocks are the joint between the foot and the leg of a pig commonly referred to as the “knuckle”.
Grossed out?
Don’t be, for they make for super yummy broth in beans or soups. Just toss one in, slow cook the heck out of it and then remove it afterward. Your dish will be delicious. If you can’t find them, just use some chopped ham – maybe a cup full.
And the good news is, they’re super inexpensive. I would say “cheap” but Mr. Wonderful prefers me to use “inexpensive”.
Toss in an entire three-pound bag of small red new potatoes and then pour in water just to cover them.
You can use larger ones, but I really like the small ones for this recipe.
Add in one tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
Toss in 2 smashed garlic cloves and then put the lid on the pot and bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
While that’s simmering, prepare your fresh green beans.
There are of course, two ends of a green bean – the stem end and the tail end.
The tail ends are perfectly fine to leave on and eat but the stem ends aren’t. You’ll need to remove them. You can do so one of two ways. Line up several of them and just cut them off.
Or sit down at a table and just snap them off as close as you can to the end.
Now, it’s been 15 minutes, so let’s remove the lid and add in one whole pound of fresh green beans.
Also chop up one onion and add it in. Mix it all together, and put the lid back on.
Cook for another 15 minutes or until the green beans are nice and soft and have absorbed all the flavors of the ham hock broth. **Added note (after reading a comment) , I don’t like my green beans cooked to mushiness but if you like yours really soft, continue to cook until your desired likeness. Also, if you like them soft, then just add them right in with your potatoes at the beginning! I used to do that.
Drain the pot into a colander and then put the whole mess into a large serving bowl. You should really rake a fork and pull of the bits and pieces of the ham hocks at this point and add them right into your potatoes and beans.
The potatoes and the beans will both have absorbed the flavors of the delicious ham hock broth and the garlic and onions.
This is so yummy. You gotta make it soon! Thanks Aunt Jane, for reminding me about this!
- 2 hamhocks
- one 3 pound bag of small red potatoes
- one pound of fresh green beans, de-stemmed
- one onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 T salt
- 1 t. pepper
- Place ham hocks in large pot, add in potatoes and cover with water. Peel and smash garlic with side of knife and add into pot. Add in salt and pepper and bring to simmer. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes. De-stem green beans and chop onion. After potatoes have cooked 15 minutes, add both green beans and onion. Mix up and return to simmer another 15 minutes. Drain water off and serve in large bowl.
This weeks Summer Fest from Food Network features potatoes and these other fabulous bloggers are sharing their take on potatoes as well! check them out below!!!
Blue Apron Blog:
The Heritage Cook: Fully Loaded Green Chile Potato Skins
Devour: 5 Ways to Prepare Sweet Potatoes
Feed Me Phoebe: Basque Tuna Stew with Peppers and Potatoes
Weelicious: Broccoli Cheese Patties
Domesticate Me: Potato Rosti with Pancetta and Mozzarella
The Sensitive Epicure: Salt Encrusted New Potatoes with Mustard-Mayo Dip
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Sweet Potato and Russet Pancakes with Chipotle Mayo
Red or Green: Roasted Sweet Potato Fries
And Love It Too: Sweet Potato Souffle
Taste With The Eyes: Ensalada de Papas a la Huancaina (Peruvian-Style Salad with Potato Cake, Egg and Yellow Chile)
FN Dish: Ease Out of Summer with Potatoes
What’s Gaby Cooking: Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
