Appalachian Pinto Beans, Fried Taters and Cornbread Supper

Cornbread and Sweet Onion on the Side

1. Get your cornbread ready. Make sure you’ve got your cornbread baked and cooled just enough to handle. Cut it into hearty wedges or squares, sturdy enough to hold up when you dip them into the bean broth. The crumb should be firm yet tender, so it soaks up the liquid without falling apart the second it hits the plate.
2. Prep the sweet onion. Take your big sweet onion and cut off a quarter to serve with each plate. You can leave the quarter as is for folks who like to bite right into it, or slice that quarter into thick wedges or chunky pieces to scatter over the plate. The onion should be crisp and juicy, adding a cool, refreshing crunch next to all the hot, hearty food.
3. Plate the Appalachian hillbilly supper. To serve, start by spooning a generous helping of pinto beans with hog jowl bacon onto each plate, making sure everyone gets some broth and some bacon in their serving. Add a big scoop of fried taters with onion alongside the beans, letting a few of the crispy bits tumble over the edge of the pile. Nestle a piece of cornbread onto the plate where it can soak up a little of the bean juice. Finally, place the quarter of sweet onion on the side, ready for biting into or chopping up over the beans and taters. The plate should look full and satisfying, with plenty of color from the beans, the golden potatoes, and the pale, glossy onion.

Serving, Leftovers, and Reheating

This meal is meant to be eaten hot and hearty, straight from the pot and skillet. Serve it right away so the beans are steaming, the taters are still crisp around the edges, and the cornbread is soft and ready to soak up every last drop of broth. Encourage folks to mix a little of everything in each bite — beans, bacon, taters, cornbread, and a bit of sweet onion — for the full Appalachian hillbilly experience.

Any leftover beans can stay in that same pot, ready for another day, just like the third day on this pot. Each time you bring them back up to a gentle heat, the flavor deepens even more, as long as you keep enough liquid in there to keep them moist and saucy. Leftover fried taters and onions can be reheated in a skillet until they’re warmed through and crisped back up in places. Cornbread keeps well for a short while and can be warmed gently before serving again so it’s soft and ready to soak up more bean broth. With a meal like this, leftovers are not a problem — they’re part of the charm.