Photo by Sonia Mendez Garcia Simple and comforting, beef picadillo with potatoes is always a great recipe to enjoy on its own or as an ingredient for more elaborate creations.
Ground beef, potatoes, fresh tomato sauce... pretty simple ingredients and yet one of the most comforting flavors of home. On most nights, this easy beef picadillo recipe was my mom’s easy, go-to dish to make when she wasn’t feeling too creative in the kitchen. But what she will never know is that it was and still is the dish that brings me great joy to recreate. On nights when she was feeling ambitious, she would create the most amazing chiles rellenos stuffed with this picadillo recipe. She always had to make extra because she knew my dad could not eat just one chile. I know many people wouldn't choose ground beef dish as a favorite dish, but the flavors in this picadillo will make you want seconds!
Ingredients
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- 1 large Russet potato or 3 small Russet potatoes; peeled and diced
- 1/2 medium white onion diced
- garlic cloves minced
- Roma tomatoes cut into quarters
- 1 chile serrano roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- salt and fresh cracked pepper
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
Directions
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil to medium heat, in a large frying pan. Add the potatoes, cook until most sides of the potatoes are browned and crispy. Drain onto plate lined with paper towels; set aside.
- In that same pan, add the ground beef, season with cumin, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook until browned nicely. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. While the ground beef is cooking, add the tomatoes, serrano pepper, water and 1 teaspoon of salt to the blender, blend until smooth, and set aside.
- Add the potatoes to the ground beef, stir well to combine. Add the freshly blended tomato sauce to the beef and potato mixture, stir well. Taste for salt and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced.
- Serve as-is or can be prepared for filling tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, and chiles rellenos.
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