Monday, March 21, 2011

Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili ~ adapted from Tasty Kitchen




1 lb sweet potatoes; peeled and cut to 1/2 inch dice
salt and fresh ground black pepper; to taste
2 T olive oil; divided
1/2 one white onion; quartered
2 cloves garlic; minced
2 t cumin
ground cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; dash of each
1 c dark beer; recommended, Guinness
1 ~ 28 oz can whole tomatoes; drained and roughly chopped
2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce; halved, seeded and chopped
1/2 c barbecue sauce
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 c frozen corn kernels
1 ~ 15 oz can black beans; drained and rinsed
3 c tortilla chips, if desired; crushed
Chipotle Tabasco sauce; optional

Preheat oven to 350°. Place sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with one tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper as desired and bake approximately 8–10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are just tender.

Heat large heavy bottom pot over medium heat and add one tablespoon olive oil. Sauté onions until soft and caramelized. Add garlic, cumin, and spices and cook for an additional minute until spices are fragrant. Stir and scrape pot constantly to avoid burning.

Add beer to deglaze pot, scraping all fond off bottom. Add tomatoes, chipotle peppers, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, frozen corn and beans. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add sweet potatoes and additional salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into bowls, top with Tabasco and crushed tortilla chips if desired. Serves 6.


Chef's Note: This recipe is spicy! No matter how much sour cream I added, I could not eat it in a bowl. However, Big D used it to make nachos with loads of cheese and sour cream and it was a-maz-ing. Next time, I will halve the amount of chipotle peppers and see what I think. Stay tuned...