chili sweet potato

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground beef

• 1 red onion

• 1 bell pepper

• 1 poblano pepper

• 1 pueblo chile

• 2 habanero peppers

• 2 hot house tomatoes

• 5 cloves of garlic

• 12oz tomato paste

• 1 ½ cups of water

• 1 tsp beef bouillon (better than bouillon is the brand I prefer)

• 4 tsp white vinegar

• Sweet potatoes

Chili Powder Mix:

• 2 tbsp chili powder

• 1 tbsp chipotle chili powder

• 1 tbsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp cumin

• ½ tsp paprika

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tsp salt

Garnish:

• Sour cream

• Green onions

• Sharp cheddar cheese

• Salt and black pepper to taste

Substitutions:

• Recipes like this should not be viewed as static, rather something that can be fluid. If there are items listed that you dislike, feel free to not include those in this recipe. This is just the way that I made it. Experiment. That’s half the fun of cooking. These are just some ideas for possible substitutions: You can substitute the roasted hot house tomatoes for any canned tomatoes (there are roasted options available, also a can of Rotel tomatoes works just fine). If you don’t have bouillon, you can substitute for beef broth, beef bone broth, vegetable broth, even chicken broth as a last resort. If you choose a broth option, do not include the 1 ½ cups of water listed in my recipe, you will use 1 ½ cups of broth as the replacement. I don’t find this recipe to be particularly hot. If you’re sensitive to spice, you can use jalapenos instead of habaneros (which also tastes great in this recipe), or not include any chiles at all. To me, I think the recipe taste great as is. However, it’s your kitchen, do what makes you happy.  

Preparation:

• First prepare the sweet potatoes. With a knife or fork, lightly puncture the flesh of one side. Individually wrap in aluminum foil, bake at 450°F for about 50 minutes, or until soft.

• Next prepare the tomatoes, remove any stems, then cut into wedges. Scrap out the seeds using a small spoon. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place the tomatoes atop. Drizzle them with olive oil, then sprinkle a pinch of salt and black pepper. Roast at 450°F for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly blackened (*you can cook the tomatoes alongside the sweet potatoes). Remove from oven, chop and set aside.

• If using bouillon, dissolve 1 tsp into 1 ½ cups warm water.

• While the sweet potatoes and tomatoes are cooking, dice the onion, bell pepper, poblano, and pueblo. Set aside.

• Mince the garlic cloves and habaneros. Do not add this into the container with the other veg, as this will be cooked at a different time.

• In a heavy bottom, deep rimmed pot (I used a rondeau, but a Dutch oven works great) on medium, drizzle a little olive oil, then brown the ground beef (roughly 5-6 minutes), add a pinch of salt to the meat while cooking. Remove the beef, reserving a small amount of fat in the pot.

• Add the mixture of onion, bell pepper, poblano, and pueblo into the pot. Add a pinch of salt, then cook until the onion starts to turn translucent (about 5-10 minutes depending on your stove), stirring consistently.

• When the onions appear translucent, add the minced garlic and habanero, stir until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).

• Add the tomato paste, stirring constantly for another 2-3 minutes.

• Pour bouillon mixture into the pot (or 1 ½ cups of broth), continue to stir.

• Add the roasted tomatoes and ground beef, stir to combine.

• Add the chili powder mixture and the vinegar, stir until evenly mixed.

• Continue to cook on low for another 15-30 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

• Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

• Cut and spread the sweet potato. Add shredded cheese, top with chili, a dollop of sour cream and then garnish with green onions.

• Enjoy.