Smoked Cottage Ham, Potatoes, with Green Beans

Mid-summer means bean season in Greater Cincinnati.  This is also cottage ham season.  Nothing flavors up a simple dish like this, quite like cottage ham.  Slow cooked, hickory wood smoked.  This recipe is a bit of an insider take.  Here cottage ham is used in two distinct stages.  Initial flavor and thin sliced as a finish and serve.

Ingredients

—1 LB Queen City Smoked Cottage Ham (Butt).  Chunked (40%) and thin sliced (60%)

—1.5 LBS Russet potatoes.  Peeled or unpeeled.  Sliced into large chunks

—1.5 LBS Green beans.  Trimmed

—1 onion.  Sliced

—1 TBLS Olive oil

—About 4 cups water to cover all ingredients

—Ground pepper

—Salt to taste

—Garlic powder (Optional)

Directions

1.  Trim the cottage ham.  All sides.  The trim becomes the flavoring chunks to begin with

2.  Use a Dutch oven.  Add the cottage ham side-chunks and olive oil

3.  Add the potatoes and then the green beans.  Cover with water

4.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer

5.  Simmer for about 50 minutes or so

6.  For the last 2 minutes, layer the thin sliced cottage ham on to gently heat

7.  Add pepper, salt, and garlic to taste

NOTE: This recipe encourages the cottage ham to be served and enjoyed as a premium cut of meat as well as a flavoring agent.