New Potatoes and Green Beans

This is, by far, one of my favorite side dishes.  It is so very simple, yet so satisfying.  I always find myself going back for second.. or fourths.  

I start my scrubbing and cutting my new potatoes.  These particular ones were pretty small, so I just halved or quartered them.  Cut out any blemishes or eyes.  I put the prepped potatoes directly into my steamer and set the steamer for 20 min. 

While my potatoes start to steam, I prep the fresh green beans.  I simply wash, snap off the ends, and snap in half, when I want more manageable pieces.  I remove any blemished beans as I go.  If I have the opportunity, I like to remove blemished beans before I purchase them -- no use paying for beans I'm just going to throw away.  After a total of about 10 minutes, I throw the green beans in the steamer, in the same dish as the potatoes.

After another 7min or so, I check the veggies for tenderness.  I like the potatoes to be softened through, but the beans to still have a crispness to them.  Once this is achieved, I take the dish off the steamer, give it a shake to release any excess water, and pour the veggies into a nice serving dish.  Then, I throw in a few pats of butter to melt.  This step is totally optional, as the potatoes and beans are 100% delicious without the butter.  I'm a creature of habit, though!  Finally, I give everything a final swirl and then top it off with some decorative salt and pepper.  My favorite combination right now is cracked white pepper and Kilauea black finishing salt.   

Bon Appétit!