Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Thrifty Crockpot Cooking: Taters N Beans with Ham

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I always look for ways to save a buck but still create good tasting meals and, because I am usually busy doing something, I try to use the crock pot as much as possible. This recipe is easy to make, cooks in the crock pot without tending to it, and tastes good.

One year I saved the ham bone after a celebration and, instead of making a pot of beans or split pea soup, I decided to try something a little different. I heard a friend talking about eating Taters n beans when he was a boy and it made me wonder what if I used green beans. Too easy. A few potatoes, ummm, and one ham bone. Not bad. Since then, I monkeyed around with the recipe. It  is still as simple as before but you don’t have to wait for Christmas or Easter dinner to make it.

To feed a family of four, you need:

2 cans of green beans (15 ounce cans)DSC_0011

3 or 4 pounds of new potatoes, scrubbed and cut in chunks (you can use other potatoes but little red new potatoes are pretty. Yukon Gold is good, too)

2 1/2 pounds of ham (buy a ham when it is on sale and have the butcher cut it in four big, thick slices with the bone. You can use a picnic, too)

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Black Pepper to taste

Rinse the ham and place in the crock pot. Set the crock pot on low.

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Place the potatoes in the pot with the ham. Add the green beans. Sprinkle with about 1/4 tsp black pepper and let it cook. DSC_0014

You can add more potatoes if you have hearty eaters. Corn bread, corn muffins, or biscuits go well with this dish.

 DSC_0022           Drop Biscuits (you can use canned)

Pretty easy. Good alternative to split pea soup (I love split pea but I need variety) after Christmas or Easter dinner.

Cost: The ham was on sale at $1.48 per pound. I bought the smallest one, $14.34, and had it cut into four pieces.  $14.34/4 = $3.58 each. Two cans of green beans $0.60 each. 2 x 0.60 = $1.20. New potatoes were $0.40 per pound at the green grocer. I bought 2 pounds. $0.40 x 2 = $0.80.

Total: 5.58 or $1.39 per serving.

Enjoy!

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