Carne guisada con papas (steak and potatoes)

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Carne guisada con papas is a mexican dish made with beef and potatoes braised in a tomato and chilli sauce. Every mexican and latinoamerican household has its own version. Today I am sharing the one my mom taught me.

My mom’s carne guisada con papas

This dish reminds me a lot of my mom because she used to prepar it a lot. Sometimes I can even see it as she is serving it at our family table  along with homemade corn tortillas and a large pitcher of lemon and chia agua fresca.

In my house it was always prepared just as it says below in the recipe. A little touch of cumin that my mami loved to add almost in every dish and the silky sauce with chillies and tomatoes. So simple and yet so delicious.

Tips for this guisado de res

• Go easy on the spices. You really don’t need that much to enhance the flavour. Sometimes I cringe when I see how much cumin or oregano are added on those wannabe mexican recipes.
• Since is this is a braised dish, you can use the less expensive cuts of beef. Just adjust the cooking time as is needed.
• You can also add another kind the vegetables, like zucchini or bell peppers. But the traditional carne guisada con papas is only beef and potatoes.
• Cut the meat into thin slices, then into small bites. It will cook faster this way.

What Meat for carne guisada con papas?

You can also make this recipe using pork meat or chicken. If you using pork try tenderloin which is not too fat but still has lots of flavour. If you want to use chicken, I like to use breast cut into stripes or bites, but of course, you can also use tights or drums if you prefer.

In both cases, the meat cooks faster than beef, so you might adjust the cooking time.

Recipe carne guisada con papas

INGREDIENTS – 600 gr beef (sliced thin), 500 gr potatoes (cut in cubes), 500 gr tomatoes, green chillies, 80 gr onions (cut in quarters), 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, olive oil (or canola oil), salt and pepper to taste.

Place tomatoes and chillies (to your liking) in a sauce pan. Cover with water and boil until tender. Let them cool sightly.
Place cooked tomatoes and chillies in a blender, garlic, cumin and a cup of the cooking water. Blend until smooth.

Season the meat with salt and pepper. In a cooking pan heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, add meat and stir fry over medium heat until the meat is juicy and starts to change color (about 8-10 minutes).

Pour in tomatoes and chilli sauce, add water until the meat is 2cm covered. Add salt and bring to boil. Cover the pan and low the heat. Cook for 30 minutes or until meat is very tender.
Add potatoes and -if necessary- more water to allow potatoes to cook through.

Cook until potatoes are tender, adjust of salt and pepper and let the sauce reduce to your liking.

The leftovers

If you have any leftovers (I really doubt it!) you can store them in a air tight container in the fridge for about 3 days. Then just reheat the stew in a sauce pan with one or two tablespoons of water to loose it up.

You can also make burritos the day after! Here’s how: Heat some flour tortillas in a hot skillet until soft (about 30s each side). Spread refried beans on each tortilla, then add cooked rice (any kind is fine, but you better try this red mexican rice), shredded lettuce and then two tablespoons of carne guisada con papas. Roll tight. Enjoy!