Chile Cascabel Beef and Potato(Carne Con Papa)

Chile cascabel is the dried chile pod to use if your looking for a dish that’s not too spicy. I must confess that I do like my food on the spicy side and may not be the best judge of character, lol! In my opinion the cascabel is more like at medium. I typically find myself adding chile de arbol or chile puya to add a little kick to the final salsa or sauce. This beef and potato recipe has all the traditional flavors of a carne con chile, but with potatoes added.

Isn’t this the same as chile colorado?

Technically, yes it’s a chile that yields a reddish salsa(or sauce). Growing up, when mom referred to chile colorado (asado de puerco), it was the pork version with chile ancho. Then there was carne con chile rojo, which was the beef version, but mom didn’t add potatoes to that one, lol! Are you confused yet?

Corn or Flour Tortillas?

Some dishes, like this one, just scream flour tortilla please! It may just be that mom always prepared homemade flour tortillas when it was carne con papa with or with out red chile. I grew to love that combination with flour tortillas. For everything else, I favor corn tortillas!

Cascabel? Rattlesnake?

Chile cascabel sounds like the tail of a rattlesnake when you shake it! That is an easy way to remember the name of this tasty dried chile. It’s not as spicy as chile de arbol. It’s more on the medium side as far as heat goes. My favorite chile cascabel salsa is prepared with tomatillos!

Chile Cascabel Beef and Potato(Carne Con Papa)

A classic pairing of beef, potatoes in a red chile sauce.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 6 chile cascabel
• 2-4 chile puya or 2 chile de arbol
• 2 medium red potatoes washed and diced
• 2 tbsp avocado or grapeseed oil
• 1 pound chuck steak sliced thin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup white onion dice fine
• 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 cups water
• 2 tsps beef or chicken bouillon

Instructions

• Remove the stems and seeds from dried chiles. Transfer them to a pot of simmering water. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Season the sliced beef with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Preheat a skillet to medium for a a few minutes. Add the potatoes, season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and continue frying for 10-13 minutes. Stir now and then.
• While potatoes are frying, preheat a large heavy skillet to medium for 5 minutes.
• Once skillet is very hot add the seasoned beef and spread out evenly. Let the beef sear for 4-5 minutes before stirring. Stir after 5 minutes and let it sear a few more minutes. Remove potatoes from heat once golden brown on some sides.
• While beef is browning, drain the water from softened chiles and transfer to the blender. Pour in 2 cups of tap water. Add 2 tsps of bouillon, cover and blend until very smooth. If you have a good blender, there is no need to strain. Set aside.
• To the beef , mix in the onions, garlic, cumin seeds and oregano. Stir to combine and saute for for 3-4 minutes. Pour in the chile cascabel salsa from blender. Stir well to combine. Taste for salt. After it simmers for 5 minutes, fold in the potatatoes. Continue simmering for 10 minutes to reduce and thicken. Enjoy! Serve with warm tortillas of your choice, side of rice and beans! Yields 4-5 servings

Notes

Any of these classic beef and potato dishes can be prepared with chicken or pork.

Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

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