set up a little green bean peeling station to get everything done at once, as you can see from the picture above. once you have the sides cut and the strings gone, break the ends off with your finger (about 1/2 inch), then quickly break the beans into 2-3 inch long pieces, and give them a quick rinse.
in a medium-sized pot, boil potatoes, green beans, 1 bay leaf, a pinch or two of salt, and 3-4 cups of water, or until the mixture is at least 2/3 covered. cook on high heat with the lid slightly covering the pot for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. (try not 