WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Sweet potatoes do double duty in this beef-and- veggie chili. We added some early in the cooking process so that they would break down and thicken the chili and then added the rest later, along with tomatoes, bell peppers, and scallions. For the beef, we chose well-marbled, inexpensive beef chuck-eye for its ability to become meltingly tender. We browned it for rich flavor and then stewed it long enough to make it fork-tender. An aromatic base of garlic, cumin, chipotle, and chili powder gave our stew real depth of flavor and some heat. The heat balanced out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and bell pepper, and mild beer added further complexity. Once our meat was tender, we added the rest of the sweet potatoes and bell pepper, cooking them just long enough to have toothsome chunks in our stew. Light-bodied American lagers, such as Budweiser, work best in this recipe. Serve with lime wedges, sliced avocado, cilantro leaves, sour cream, and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese.
SERVE: 6 to 8
TOTAL TIME: 3 hours
INGREDIENTS:
- 3½ pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1½ cups beer
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 4 scallions, sliced thin
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Brown the beef: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add half of beef and brown on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to large bowl. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining beef.
- Cook the onions and spices: Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty pot and heat until shimmering. Add onion and ¾ cup sweet potatoes and cook until just beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, chipotle, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, beer, beans, and browned beef along with any accumulated juices, scraping up any browned bits.
- Bake the chili: Bring chili to simmer. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are broken down and beef is just tender, about 1 hour 40 minutes.
- Add the bell pepper and remaining sweet potatoes: Remove pot from oven and stir in bell pepper and remaining sweet potatoes. Return to oven and continue to cook until meat and sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Let the chili stand and serve: Remove pot from oven, uncover, and let chili stand until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with scallions before serving.
