This spicy chili is the perfect compliment to roasted sweet potatoes. It's kind of like mashed potatoes and gravy but so much more flavorful and complex.
Ingredients
serves 6-8
6-8 medium sweet potatoes
1 pound ground beef
1 tsp kosher salt
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
1 large carrot, diced
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 tbs chili powder
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 cup chicken stock (unsalted)
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs white miso
3 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
You could totally use fresh tomatoes and dry beans here, if you want to do that.
Heat a dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium high heat with a little bit of olive oil. Sprinkle the salt on the beef. When the pan is hot add the ground beef and don't mess with it while it browns. Then stir it around and leave it alone for awhile longer. You'll get better browning the less you stir at this point and more browning equals more flavor.
Remove the meat and leave the fat in the pan. Saute the onion and carrot together until they soften a bit. Add the garlic, cumin, and chili powder, saute together for another 30 seconds or so.
Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Don't worry too much if things are browning and sticking a bit, but turn down the heat if you see burning.
Add the canned tomatoes, stir around and scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Return the meat to the pot along with the oregano, fish sauce, miso, vinegar, chicken stock, and cocoa powder. Stir, cover, and simmer until the sweet potatoes are done.
Heat the oven to 375F. Cut the potatoes in half and place cut-side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for one hour until cooked through and soft.
Serve the chili on top of the roasted sweet potatoes. Feel free to top with your favorite chili toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, fritos, chile peppers, guacamole, etc.
Enjoy
-Matt
