Mexican Comfort Food: Beef Picadillo & Papas con Chorizo

If you live in Southern California, you know how cold and rainy it's been. Stuck indoors, because it's too crazy to be out on the road, all I'm thinking about is what I can eat. Comfort food is what really comes to mind! A favorite of mine is Beef Picadillo (similar to hash, made of ground meat) and Papas con Chorizo (potatoes and chorizo). The kids really love this dish and especially when I make it in the form of sliders, kind of a Mexican sloppy Joe's. It's very simple and oh so yummy!

Beef Picadillo

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup finely diced white onion
• 1/4 cup finely diced celery
• 1/4 cup finely diced carrot
• 1 ear corn, shucked and kernels removed or 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapenos, stemmed and deveined
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups tomato puree
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
• 2 springs fresh oregano, leaves removed and chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 hamburger buns (I used Hawaiian rolls for sliders)
• Serving suggestion: Pickled jalapenos and avocado slices

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until translucent. Add the carrot, corn kernels, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the ground turkey and saute until cooked through. Stir in the tomato puree, bay leaf, thyme, oregano and salt and pepper, to taste. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Put about 1/4 cup of the picadillo into each hamburger bun. Serve warm with pickled jalapenos and avocado slices.

Papas Con Chorizo

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 10 ounces Mexican pork chorizo, casings removed*
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 pound red skinned new potatoes, cut into small (1/4-inch) dice, and boiled
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, breaking up the clumps, until dry and crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to a paper lined plate to absorb any additional oil. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan and heat the pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and boiled potatoes and saute until brown, about 12 minutes. Stir in the cooked chorizo and season with just a little salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.