That's part of the mystery. We always cook up four or five slices of bacon, then cube a Hormel Cure 81 or other good ham, chop up one big onion and add those into the four pounds of g. beans after they're cooked in a pot. I cheat on the little 'taters. They come in little cans.
Oh, too bad about the potatoes. Have you ever tried the fresh little red ones? They're so much better, but they can be a lot of work.
Another thing my mom did with the litte red potatoes (and the smaller the better) is to cook them in chicken stock, drain them, then add some butter, a little milk or cream, salt, pepper and parsley. You can't eat just one! So good.
Damn, I'm hungry!