Sometimes, simple is best. Especially when it involves dinner preparation and you have a busy schedule. This dish is a favorite around our home and despite the short list of ingredients, it can be quite versatile with the type of pork chosen--some folks prefer ham, others smoked pork chops, and others smoked sausage. The bottom line is, however you make it, you can't go wrong. I love to serve it with this homemade bread and butter. Comfort food for the dinner win!
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
- 6 potatoes, washed and quartered (depending on the size); Russet and red-skinned potatoes work well
- Your choice of pork--I almost always use 3 to 4 smoked pork chops or ~2 lbs smoked ham or ham steak
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 c water
Directions:
Crock Pot version:
- Add 1 cup water to crock pot, then layer in the quartered potatoes, green beans, and onion. Add the smoked pork chops/smoked ham last, so that it can easily be removed once done to separate the meat from the bone and any fat that may need trimmed off.
- Allow to cook on high for around 4 hours, or until the desired tenderness of potatoes is reached. Using tongs, take the meat out of the crock pot and separate the meat from the fat and bones. Add the meat back to the crockpot with the potatoes and green beans, season generously with salt and pepper, and stir gently.
Instant Pot version:
- Add 1 cup water to the pot, then layer in the quartered potatoes, green beans, and onion. Add the smoked pork chops/smoked ham last, so that it can easily be removed once done to separate the meat from the bone and any fat that may need trimmed off.
- On the manual pressure cook setting ('more'), cook for 3 minutes* and allow natural release for 15 minutes, then do a quick release. Using tongs, take the meat out and place it in a dish to cool somewhat so you can separate the meat from the fat and bones. Add the meat back to the pot with the potatoes and green beans, season generously with salt and pepper, and stir gently.
*Total time needed for this method is about 50 minutes, once in the Instant Pot