KENTUCKY GOODNESS

Nothing beats fresh green beans right out of the garden cooked with new red potatoes.   My Aunt Ressie (wife of my Dad’s brother Stanley) called this a mess, as in, "I picked me a mess of greens"   In my Mom’s family, a mess referred to when my Papaw Noe and Uncle Pete went fishing, Aunt Ruth would say “They got a mess of  fish”.  But either way, it meant a great dinner was on the way!  As a kid, green beans didn’t mean those things from a can.  It was pole beans or Kentucky Wonders from the garden, and that still holds true for me today.  In fact, just writing this blog today makes me want to put on “a mess” for tonight!!!

 My Aunts:  Ressie (left)

and Toylia, who died in 1939, so I never met.

With them, Toylia's children (Christine, Dexter & Smith)

KENTUCKY-STYLE GREEN BEANS WITH NEW POTATOES

2-3 lbs. fresh green beans, washed and broken with strings removed.

3-4 slices bacon

1 medium Vidalia onion

1 Tbs. chopped garlic

2-3 cups chicken broth

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

9-10 small red potatoes

With your kitchen shears or a knife cut your bacon in pieces and brown in a dutch oven. I like to use my cast iron dutch oven for this. 

Once the bacon is crisp, remove it to a paper towel lined plate.

Chop the onion and put the chopped onion and the Tbs. of garlic in the bacon drippings.  There won't be a lot of drippings from that much bacon and that's fine, you want just enough to season the beans, not have them swimming in it.  Saute until just soft.

Add the green beans to the hot bacon drippings and sauteed onion/garlic mixture and stir to coat them.  Add the salt and black pepper.

Add 2-3 cups of chicken broth or just enough to cover the beans.  You can use canned or the chicken bouillon cubes.   Bring to a boil and then turn down to low,  cook on low and covered for about 30 to 40 minutes.  Don't cook on heat set too high or they will scorch.

Wash the potatoes and if they are really small, just peel a strip right around the center.  If they are  little bigger, like mine were, halve them or quarter them and place them on top of the beans.  Sprinkle the potatoes with a little salt and pepper.  Cover and cook for about 30-40 more minutes or until fork tender.  It's important to not overcook the green beans.  They should still be 'green' at the end of the cooking time, but it's also important to not under cook them. Fresh green beans need time to cook on low heat,  remember that unlike canned beans, they haven't been processed at all.

Once the potatoes are cooked, give the whole pot a stir to mix the potatoes, beans and cooking liquid.  Taste for seasoning.  You might need to sprinkle with a dash more salt and pepper depending on how many beans you cooked. Sprinkle with the reserved bacon.  You have 'Southern Green Beans with New Potatoes and Bacon"!

COOKING TIP:   If you don't have fresh green beans and want to use canned, there’s a great brant called Allens Beans that taste al,ost as good as thje garden variety.  If  you want them to taste more like fresh, drain all of the canning liquid off of the beans and rinse them.