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MEXICAN-STYLE POTATOES + BEAN CHILI

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • 700 grams potatoes (see notes)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • Salt, to taste
  • Coriander leaves and stems, chopped
  • Fried eggs to serve (optional but recommended)

Bean chili:

  • 1 ½ cups cooked kidney beans
  • 4 large tomatoes
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 Chipotle peppers (see notes)
  • 1 ½ tsp coriander powder
  • 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp oil
  • Salt, to taste

Garlic yogurt:

  • ½ cup yogurt
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  • Garlic yogurt: stir together yogurt, minced garlic and salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Preheat the oven to 200 C.
  • If using baby potatoes, halve them. For larger potatoes, chop them to about the same size as a halved baby potato. Boil/pressure cook them until a knife goes through without any resistance.
  • Drain the water, add the potatoes back to the pot, and cover with a lid. Let them sit for 10 mins. This steams them, making their insides fluffy.
  • Drain them again; make sure there’s no residual water in the pot. Tip the potatoes into your oven-proof skillet/baking dish. Drizzle the oil over the top and add salt. Toss to coat evenly. Lay them out in a single layer. A few overlaps are fine but you’ll get more crispy bits with a single layer.
  • Using a potato masher, press down firmly enough to break the potatoes up slightly. Bake in the oven for 40-45 mins until the edges brown and the skins start to crisp up.

Bean chili:

  • Blanch tomatoes in boiling water until the skins just start to come off. Peel away the skins and discard. Blend the tomatoes and chipotle chillies to a smooth purée. Set aside in a bowl. 
  • Add the cooked beans to the same blender jar and coarsely blend. We’re looking for nubbly bits and not a paste. A few blitzes should do it.
  • Heat the oil in a pot and sauté chopped onions and garlic until lightly browned. Add the tomato purée, beans, cumin powder, coriander powder, oregano, and salt. (If using paprika or chilli powder instead of the chipotle chillies, add them in at this stage.)
  • Cover and cook over a medium heat stirring occasionally until it reduces slightly, about 10-12 mins. Add a touch of water if it starts to catch at the bottom.

To assemble: top the potatoes with the bean chili. Spoon over the garlic yogurt and finish with chopped coriander. Serve with fried eggs.

    Notes

    Regular or baby potatoes - either works in this recipe.
    Chipotle peppers give the dish that distinctive smoky flavour. Use them dried, as a paste, or canned in adobo sauce - any form that you can find. If not, use smoked or regular paprika. As a last resort use chilli powder.
    If using dried kidney beans, soak them for at least 8 hours and then cook until tender. ½ cup dried beans roughly yields about 1 ½ cups cooked.
    Bean chili can be made up to 4 days in advance and refrigerated. After it's cooked, it can be frozen for up to a month.