Gina: Green beans and new potatoes, simmered with some type of pork fat, are a classic Southern combination. This dish is one we both grew up on, and when we cook it at home, the smoky aroma of these simmering vegetables instantly transports us to our mothers’ kitchens. There are few flavors more satisfying to any Southerner than the taste of tender new potatoes and green beans that have absorbed the salty, porky goodness of a smoked ham hock.
Only a Yankee would consider draining the magnificent cooking liquid known as “pot liquor” from this dish. We definitely like ours on the sweeter side, so if you don’t, feel free to use less sugar or leave it out altogether. If you want a neater presentation, go ahead and use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes and beans to a serving dish, but to enjoy them “down home” style, serve them in a shallow bowl with plenty of cooking liquid, several dashes of hot sauce, and warm, buttered cornbread on the side for sopping up every last drop of goodness.
