Where I come from, "new potatoes" are the first crop of red potatoes. These were always anxiously anticipated. Store bought red potatoes work perfectly fine for this recipe.

Pinto snaps are immature pinto bean pods that are washed, strung and snapped exactly the same as with any snap bean. We picked immature pinto pods long before they were ready to shell, and made this dish with red or new potatoes. It's delicious when picked and cooked the same day!

Immature pinto bean pods are similar to flat green beans. They string and snap like any other snap bean. We snapped ours 1 to 2 inches long, and usually 1 to 2 pounds of pinto snaps for this.

In a big stockpot throw in some smoked pork hocks, or smoked jowls cut into one inch cubes, it's not exacting. Or we used chunks of bacon ends and pieces, chunky fatback or other fatty smoked pork. Sizes of chunks doesn't matter. The main idea is to partially render this on medium heat. How much was used was up to the cook. Usually around a pound of meat. If more folks were coming to eat with us, it might go upwards of 2 pounds.

Add 1 to 2 peeled, trimmed and chopped onions. I prefer sweet Noondays, Vidalias or Texas 10-15 onions for this dish. Stir this around and allow the onions to become glossy and slightly caramelized.

Once the smoked pork had rendered out a bit, add the snapped pinto beans into the rendered oil, stir to coat all the beans in oil, then let it cook unstirred until the beans on bottom are slightly sizzled- but not scorched. Allow the surface of the beans to slightly shrivel and get just barely toasty. Stir once or twice around to prevent scorching. Try to get most all the beans sizzled, if some aren't, it's ok!

With home grown red potatoes in our sandy soil, the eyes usually had to be cut out to remove the embedded sand trapped in the eyes. Store bought red potatoes don't usually need this step. Get the red potatoes scrubbed, cut away any dark spots, rinse and toss these into the stockpot, and stir to coat in the rendered oils.

Allow potatoes to cook this way for about 5 to 10 minutes. Small potatoes need only 5 or so minutes. Big potatoes will need closer to 10 minutes.

We used around a pound or two of red potatoes, depending on how many were coming for dinner. Try to get potatoes smaller than 2 inches. One to two inch potatoes finish cooking when the rest of the ingredients are cooked.

Now that everything in the stockpot has been slightly sizzled in rendered fat, pour in enough salted water or chicken broth to just cover the ingredients. Don't fully submerge them.

Bring this to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer until the largest potatoes are tender when sliding a knife through. Taste for salt, add if any is needed.

This could be served right away, but the best flavors develop when it's had a slow and low simmer for about 2 hours. Which is a great time to cook chicken, pork chops, fried catfish or another good main meat dish.

We commonly had this as a meal by itself, accompanied with a good pan of cornbread or biscuits, with butter to melt in them.

I've made this with fresh green beans. I've also made this with a can of drained, rinsed Italian green beans or other canned green beans, and some chopped bacon. Drain and rinse canned green beans if you use them. Best is always fresh though.

If anyone knows what the term "pot liquor" (or lekker) means, this makes the best! (It's not alcoholic, just a term for the richly flavored pot juices).