Stewed Potatoes with Butter Beans and Simple Sauteed Greens

Job perk #1: help cut down the swiss chard forest and eat up the reject potatoes.

In my high school days of working at an ice cream shop, taking home a "mistake" sundae was a special treat indeed. Now, I feel as if I've struck gold when I get to bring home some free veg from the farm. Case in point: I was sent home from work on Friday with a bag full of seed potatoes (teeny tiny reds and fingerlings) as well as a huge bunch of swiss chard, some parsley and basil. Score +1 for the fridge.

With cans of butter beans and diced tomatoes in the cabinet, I thought I'd have a go at replicating a tomato-y potato-y tapa I remember trying a few years back. I don't know how authentically Spanish the dish turned out, but it sure was tasty anyway. Served alongside some garlicky chard, I'd say my little cooking experiment was a success.

Stewed Potatoes with Butter Beans

1 lb. potatoes, cut into relatively bite-sized pieces
olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
smoked paprika (a LOT of it, but because I kept on adding it to the pot throughout the cooking process, I couldn't tell you exactly how much)
chili powder
dried oregano
dried thyme
salt
pepper
water (about 3 cups)
1 can butter beans (possibly a.k.a. gigante beans?)
1 1/2 cups peas (frozen is fine)
small handful of chopped fresh basil
about 3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

In a big pot, heat a few glugs of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the potatoes, and stir them a bit until slightly browned, then remove them from the pot and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium. Depending on how much oil is left in the pot, add enough to saute the onions and peppers. After those have softened, add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds (you don't want the garlic to overcook).
Add the can of tomatoes, and the spices. The primary spice I used was the paprika, then chili powder, and a little less of the oregano and thyme. Along with the salt and pepper, you'll just have to add them as you go along until the dish is seasoned enough. Keep on tasting while you cook!
Add the potatoes back to the pot and add enough water to cover them. Bring the pot to a simmer and let the potatoes stew until you can pierce them with a fork, about 20 minutes.
Add the butter beans, peas, and basil, and continue simmering for about another 15 minutes until the liquid in the pot has reduced and the potatoes have soaked up a lot of flavor.
Spoon into shallow bowls, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and dig in!

Simple Sauteed Swiss Chard
If you have good fresh greens, this recipe (so simple you can barely even call it that) is always a winner. Last night's dining companion, who had never even heard of chard before, eagerly went back for seconds.

1 lb. swiss chard, greens and stems chopped
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
a generous pat of butter
salt

Heat oil over medium heat, and then sautee the chard stems for about 2 minutes, until they're softened, but still slightly crisp. Add the greens and the garlic, and continue to stir until just wilted. Stir in the butter and add salt to taste.

A word of warning: err on the side of undercookedness, because overcooked chard tastes remarkably like dirt. If you stop cooking right before you think it's done, by the time it gets to the plate it will be perfectly cooked.