Black Bean Potato Chili

Sometimes you don't feel like cooking and you can't afford delivery. So you just throw a bunch of crap into a pot and heat it up and hope it doesn't suck.

That's how this Black Bean and Potato Chili came about. And friends...it did. Not. Suck.

It's hard to photograph chili. It's kind of gross-looking, to be honest. But even these pictures are making me drool. I WANT MORE CHILI NOW PLEASE. 

It's perfect with a little corn bread...

And a sprinkling of melty cheddar cheese...

Basically there might not be a more perfect winter recipe than chili.

Click "Read More" for the recipe. You'll be so, so glad you did.




Ingredients: Assemble!

Now that may look like an intimidating grouping of ingredients, but when you take out the basic stuff (salt, pepper, spices, garlic, olive oil) it's really only five ingredients: potatoes, chorizo, tomato paste, chicken broth, and cheese.

You'll start off by basically frying the potatoes, all diced up, until they start to get soft...

Then take your chorizo (I used Soy-Rizo from Trader Joe's, which honest to god tastes just like regular chorizo):

And cut a link-sized section of it:

(Who watches Game of Thrones? Anybody? Anybody?)

Anyway, toss that in there with the potatoes and break it up and cook it until it's browned. Then add your chicken broth, which will immediately take on the colors of your chorizo spices...

Then after the potatoes are all soft and fork-tender, add your beans and (secret ingredient) tomato paste and heat through. The longer you let it sit on the stove, the better it tastes.

Sprinkle each serving with grated cheese and serve with corn muffins (trust me on that one).

Then enjoy it the next day (after a night in the fridge it will taste AMAZING) with a poached egg, whole wheat toast, and a sprinkling of cheese and Valentina hot sauce:

Pretty much the best thing ever.

BLACK BEAN AND POTATO CHILI RECIPE!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

3-4 smallish potatoes, peeled and diced (you could also use frozen hasbrowns if you wanted)

1 link chorizo (or soy-rizo)

3-4 cups chicken or veggie broth (use 3 if you like a thicker chili, 4 if you like it more soupy)

2 cans black beans, drained

1 can tomato paste

salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin to taste

grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in the bottom of a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic and potatoes and cook, stirring constantly until potatoes begin to soften.
3. Add chorizo and break apart with a spatula, stirring constantly until chorizo is browned.
4. Add broth and stir. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer briskly until potatoes are fork-tender.
6. Add black beans and tomato paste and stir until tomato paste has broken up and distributed throughout the chili.
7. Let it simmer on low for anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour (the longer it sits, the thicker and more flavorful it will be, but check it every 10 minutes or so to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom).
8. Season to taste with salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin.
9. Serve with grated cheddar cheese.

XOXO