Schwerin heaven and earth with green beans

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 800 g potatoes
• 400 g applesauce
• 200 g bacon cubes, streaky
• 3 m.-sized onion(s)
• 60 g prunes
• n. B. Pfeffer
• e.g. nutmeg
• 4 tsp chives
• 400 g beans, green, fresh or frozen
• 1 tsp savory
• 1 tbsp herb vinegar
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• n. B. salt water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

typical Mecklenburg recipe from GDR times

Remove the tips and florets from fresh green beans and cut them into two pieces. This is not necessary for frozen beans. Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil and add the beans and savory. Cook for about 10 minutes until al dente. Remove the beans from the cooking water, season with a little pepper, mix with the vinegar and parsley, and keep warm. Peel and dice the onions. Roughly chop the prunes. Peel and quarter the potatoes, and cook in salted water until soft. Drain, leaving only a small amount of the cooking water, and mash the potatoes. Place the mashed potatoes in a bowl, season with pepper and nutmeg, and stir in the applesauce and prunes. Meanwhile, slowly fry the bacon in a non-stick pan without adding any extra fat until crispy. Remove the bacon and stir two-thirds of it into the potato mixture. Slowly fry the onions in the bacon fat. They should brown slightly, but not burn. Mix the fried onion cubes with the remaining third of the bacon. Serve the potato mixture, add the onion and bacon cubes on top, and sprinkle with the chives. Serve the green beans on the plate. If desired, add a spoonful of applesauce.