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Beef and Sweet Potato Chili

Making a delicious dinner that’s even better the next day is like time travel. The good kind of time travel, not the kind where you end up in the wrong era with no bathroom, or change history by accident and ruin the world forever. It’s the kind of time travel where you wake up in the morning and realize, “Today is the future and my future self is going to be eating the dinner my past self made.”

It’s nice to know that your past self was perfectly happy to make this dish ahead of time. It comes together very easily — GoodHeart Grilled Beef is the backbone and sweet potatoes are the star. Sweet potatoes are nutrient dense and provide a sweetness that contrasts quite nicely with the smokey flavor of the smoked paprika and the hotness of the chili pepper. If you want to speed up the space-time continuum, you can conveniently find sweet potatoes already peeled, cubed and in a bag in the produce section.

What’s more, if it’s your jam, the lack of beans or sugar make this recipe Paleo. Even if you don’t have a hankering for prehistoric diets, this chili is low in carbs and high in nutrition and a complete meal to boot. I throw in a couple handfuls of fresh chopped parsley and say — there’s your greens!

Beef and Sweet Potato Chili

Serves : 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup beef stock or broth
  • 1 package Goodheart beef
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (around 2 cups)
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 bunch parsley, chopped, added at last minute (optional)
  • Optional toppings: Cilantro and green onions

Directions

  1. Heat large pot over medium heat and add olive oil.
  2. Add garlic, onion, jalapeño, chili powder, salt, pepper, paprika and chili flakes. Sauté until fragrant, around 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in can of diced tomatoes, Goodheart beef, broth, sweet potato and bell pepper.
  4. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low.
  5. Cover and simmer about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sweet potato is tender. If using, add chopped parsley the last minute or so.

BEEN THERE DONE THAT

This is where I share some common cooking predicaments, emergency substitutions and general observations for each recipe. I may not be proud to own up to some of these, but thank goodness the internet is a safe place where no one judges anyone!

CONTENTIOUS CUISINE The conversation around this type of dish is as hot as its main source of flavor. Chili vs. chile? I always thought that chili was the dish and chile was the hot little pepper and if it was up to me, that’s the way that it would be. However, people more important than I have differing opinions on the matter. Beans vs. no beans? I am going to slowly back away from that heated discussion (Texas, you know who you are). No legumes were harmed in this chili con caveman but what you do in the privacy of your own kitchen is up to you.

THE CARE AND HANDLING OF CHILI PEPPERS I like to use jalapeños in this dish. The range of heat in fresh jalapeños is vast so proceed with care. I am in the habit of taking a little nibble of the green flesh when I’m chopping, to see how hot this particular batch is.

The first time you are cooking with fresh chili peppers, perhaps use half a chile and see how hot the dish turns out In Your Opinion. It might be the perfect amount of heat In My Opinion, but Your Opinion might not be able to eat the chili because it’s Too Hot. You can always add heat with hot sauce or fresh jalapeños on top, but you can’t take heat away.

In addition, I'm always careful when handling chili peppers. The source of heat in peppers is called capsaicin. It’s concentrated in the white pithy stuff you see on the inside of the chile. When removing the seeds, if I want less heat I scrape this white stringy stuff away.

After working with chiles, wash your hands with soap and water. Don’t touch your eyes while cutting chile peppers (my mom told me never touch my eyes because I’ll get wrinkles, so I’m telling you: never touch your eyes and you won’t get stuff in them or wrinkles.) Milk will counteract the burning feeling both in your mouth and on your skin.

HANDY PRE-CUBED SWEET POTATOES Every bag of prepped sweet potatoes I’ve seen has bigger cubes than I’d like in a dish. They are a good size for roasting, but if you are using them for this recipe, I’d recommend giving them a once over with a knife to get them to a more manageable chili size. I prefer smaller chunks, no larger than 1/2”, but this is a matter of taste.

SLOW COOK THIS If I think of starting this recipe before I go off to make my way in the world, I say skip all that sautéing and put every-single-ingredient-all-at-once into the slow cooker. On Low if I have all day, on High if I have 4 hours or so. If it's on Low for over 6 hours, I might end up with very soft sweet potatoes, but they are really delicious that way. If I am adding parsley or other greens and can remember, I hold off and stir them in at the end.