Carne con Papas

I’m going to start off by blog with one of my favorite recipes.  This recipe is from my beloved mother.  She prepared it with such ease and grace.  The end result was always love – always lots of love. I can still smell meat browning and hear it sizzling in her giant cast aluminum caldero (Dutch oven).  You know you were in for a treat when the smell wafted through our home.

There is no other dish that brings back memories of my childhood and my mom so vividly.  I miss her so much, but each time I prepare this recipe I feel her next to me and I can hear her gentle, soothing, encouraging voice.

Carne con papas literally translates to meat with potatoes. It’s mostly like a pot roast or beef stew, where the meat is cut into large chucks.  Carne con papas is always served over rice. Yes, I know, as the name suggests it contains potatoes, but as you will learn, many Hispanic meals can contain double or triple starches.  It’s a hardy meal meant to satisfy and nourish after a laborious day’s work.

Let’s get into the recipe a bit.  The original recipe calls for plain stew meat.  I usually use chuck roast – especially when doubling it up for larger get-togethers. But if you really want to take this meal to the next level, it is absolutely amazing if prepared with short rib meat.  Additional tip don’t use preprocessed garlic in a jar – use fresh garlic.

Briefly

  • Prep. Time 45 min.
  • Cook time: 3 hrs.
  • Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs. chuck roast or beef short rib meat – cut in 2 inch chunks
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 c olive oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 large green pepper diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced or put through a garlic press
  • 2 tbsp diced fresh curly leaf parsley
  • 1/4 c dry white table wine
  • 3 large bay leaves
  • 12 large stuffed green olives with pimentos
  • 1 small can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 c water
  • 1 can of Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes – diced and mashed
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp oregano, dried
  • 1 tbsp capers (optional)
  • 1 small packet Sazon Goya seasoning
  • 6 medium gold potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:

  1. Liberally season chunks of beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Separate the meat into 2 or 3 batches. Brown the meat enough to color – about 5 minutes – and set aside.
  1. Sauté the onions, green peppers, minced garlic, and parsley. Continue to sauté until onions and peppers are limp. Add wine, bay leaves, olives and tomato sauce. Stir well and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes over medium heat.
  2. Add water, the mashed tomatoes, capers, seasonings, cumin, oregano, pepper, more salt and packet of Goya Seasoning.
  3. Transfer previously cooked ingredients (meat & vegetables) into a large heavy pot or Dutch oven. Combine and cook everything together on medium low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally – every 15-20 minutes.
  4. When the meat is almost tender, add cubed potatoes, balsamic vinegar, a little more water – perhaps another half cup – to cover all ingredients (depends on size and shape of pot). Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Cover again and slow cook on low until potatoes are done and meat is fork tender – approximately another 2 hours. Continue to stir occasionally, but less so once the potatoes are done as to not mash them.
  5. Keep cooking on low as long as needed for meat to be become fork tender. When done, you should NOT need a knife to cut the meat.
  6. You may have to add a little more water in increments until potatoes are done. Each time you check to see if potatoes are done, check to make sure sauce has not dried up – add a little more water if needed.
  7. Serve with white rice & enjoy