Nothing super refined here, just solid home cooking in time for Cozy Season, Beanie Season - whatever you call this transitional time of year.

This dish will cook enough to feed a family of 4-6 depending on how much your kids eat and will take about 45 minutes prep and then simmer for 2-3 hours.

What tools you'll want to make this recipe

1. A pan to brown the meat. I like a medium sized cast iron pan, but you do you.
2. A 4-6 quart pot to cook the stew.
3. A wooden spoon
4. A sharp knife you like to cut ingredients with. Use one you are comfy with.
5. A cutting board to use said knife when cutting ingredients.
6. A measuring cup and spoons.. I use handfuls, pinches, big pinches, shakes, spoonfuls, but i also know it can be helpful for some cooks.

What ingredients you'll need to make this recipe.

1. Ground Meat (or meat substitute) 1 pound (Lb.). For this recipe i used ground beef from Totum Farm in Oregon. *i have used chicken thighs, ground turkey, cubed pork shoulder and also a meat substitute like beyond meat. I've said it before and will again - you do you. No sweat. No guilt. No big deal.
2. Onions. x 2. Diced. I used sweet yellow onions for this recipe from Walla Walla Washington. *You can use a regular Spanish onion (yellow onion less sweet) too. Red onion and white onion have no place here. Tell them to stay out.
3. Garlic. 2-3 cloves peeled and minced. *I don't fuss too much about the mincing, but you can if you want to. I just like the pieces small and consistent in size to one another which helps them cook at the same pace.
4. Tomato. Small. 1-2. Chopped. I like to roast mine in the cast iron pan first and de-seed them, but lately i just leave the seeds in. Cut out the core or not. *I like to say i cook like a grandparent. I say to myself "would my grandparents have left 'X" in the dish - yes or no "- and then i roll on like i think they would have done. That typically means you might get the core of a tomato in my home cooked dishes bc hey it's edible and so i just eat it vs. create waste.
5. New Mexico Green Chile. 1.5 LBS roasted, peeled and chopped into smallish consistently sized pieces. *I used chiles that were roasted at the Portland Oregon farmers Market by Westwind Gardens. Hatch Valley in New Mexico is best. The terroir of the earth there is super duper- full of minerals and hard water. The heat in New Mexico and the humidity also makes a difference when growing these peppers. But you can also find green chile in a jar from companies like 505 southwest (i hear it's at Costco) and you can buy from a smaller brand like Los Roast (also in a jar). You can sometimes find it frozen from Bueno Foods. All are good, but i like to support smaller companies and farmers. Quality costs more whether you're buying a car or Hatch Green Chile. Whatever you do, don't use Anaheim peppers in a can or even fresh roasted. They don't have the flavor you need for this dish.
6. A good savory bone broth. 2-3 Quarts with maybe 1 more quart around to keep the stew lubricated depending on how "brothy" you like things. *You can also use a veggie broth if you want to keep this stew veggie. Also, I call this dish a stew ,but my finished product looks more like a soup - fairly "brothy". I used a broth i had made from a smoked Duck carcass (I often use the leftover carcass and the leftover cuttings of my veggies to make broth. Then i freeze the broth for situations like this one). You can buy bone broth if you don't have home made broth on hand, but do yourself a favor and learn how to make a good broth. It's a great skill to have in your cooking life and you'll be able to whip them up easily. I feel my "broth game" just finally leveled up in the past 2 years so give it some time if you decide to start making your own. I'll probably post a broth recipe soon to help you along if you're interested.
7. Potatoes. Yellow Skinned or Butterball. 4-6 large ones the size of your fist. Cut in large chunks or a consistent size that's smaller. I like them large chunked personally. (see the trend here in cutting???) * I used German Butterball Potatoes given to me by OGC for this recipe and they held up great. Don't peel em' - the skins are good for you. Cut them and keep them covered in water in a bowl until you start cooking. This will clean the potatoes and help them stay fresh/ keep the potatoes from browning. Then use the leftover water to pour over one of your garden or house plants. The water is very beneficial to your plants and contains many helpful minerals.
8. Ground Cumin. Roughly 2 tsp. *I take the lid off my spice jar and lightly shake it from side to side. I assume it's probably the equivalent of 2 tsp. but can't tell you exactly. When you taste it see if it needs more cumin as it simmers. For the most robust Cumin flavor buy whole cumin and toast it lightly in a pan dry and then grind it up. Far better way to use spice, but also YOU DO U because i know this takes time and not everyone has time to toast their spice.
9. Kosher Salt. Pinches here and there. Probably 2 tsp. *Taste before you add salt, then if needed be, use salt lightly at first (especially with store bought broth) and let the flavors come together. Also, i think it's very helpful to know your salt. When you know your salt you know how salty it is and what it's gonna do to food that you're cooking. Then become a salt master in your kitchen with your salt of choice. I like Kosher from Red Diamond.
10. Olive Oil. A swig. or 1tbs. You can use any oil, but i try to stay clear of seed oils, so Extra Virgin Olive oil is what i use here.

Ok, let's cut to the cooking.

1. Heat Olive Oil in the pan on medium heat. It will smoke if they heat is too high and we don't want that. At the same time, heat your (6cups-8cups, but you don't have to fuss about being exact) broth on medium high in the large pot that will hold your stew.
2. Add the chopped green chile to your stew pot.
3. Add the onions to the pan. Cook until fragrant. Add garlic. Cook until fragrant. That means you can smell it cooking, but it's not super soft.
4. Once the onions look a bit translucent and before garlic starts to brown (maybe 5 minutes) add the ground beef.
5. Add chopped tomato to your meat mixture and continue to stir and cook on Medium. You'll loose the tomato in this mixture, so don't stress about trying to keep the tomatoes looking cute.
6. Sprinkle cumin over your meat mixture and stir in.
7. Continue to brown ground beef in your pan on medium until cooked. There should be more oil in your pan now bc the beef (or protein of choice) will release its fat.
8. Meanwhile, add your potatoes to the hot broth pot and bring to a boil. **Potato Side Flex -Add your potatoes to the meat mixture pan and cook them for 5-10 mins with the beef/onion/garlic.This is not required, but i think the potatoes soak up some of the fat in the pan which adds a bit of flavor you won't get otherwise. Add all ingredients from the meat mixture pan to the pot once finished with time of cooking.
9. At this point you'll have a pot that is full of all the ingredients (minus any additional salt) and all will be covered by about 1/2 inch or more of broth. Bring all ingredients to a low boil, then reduce heat and simmer for a couple hours or more. I simmer mine with the pot covered as it keeps more moisture in my stew. I also find it tastes better the lower and longer you simmer it.
10. You want the final stew to have potatoes that are tender, but not mushy (so don't use russet or red potatoes). The broth should be savory and spicy. The meat should be tender. Onions are cooked and the spices all come together. If not work to get the dish to that feeling and taste by adding a bit of salt or spice, slow cooking for longer, or adding more broth (note the potatoes will soak up broth as they cook).
11. Enjoy this hot bowl of yum with some crispy quesadillas or even a good grilled cheese sando.
12. Don't forget to use your onion skin waste to make a natural dye and freshen up your wardrobe, some rags, some undies, a towel, or even dye some nice paper and send a loved one a note. Learn more here... Onion Dye Notes
13. Don't forget to compost your garlic skins and onion skins if you don't want to make a dye.
14. Send me pics to my IG here or post and tag me. Also hit me with any q's or comments there too. Laters - jasen.