By the end of Passover week, I want to stick my head inside a loaf of bread and eat my way out. I have Garfield-esque dreams of scarfing a lasagna in one fell swoop washed down with a pizza. And those fantasies inspired this indulgent and fun Passover-friendly recipe.
I do like to make my own oven-baked French fries from time to time, but if you prefer to buy st0re-bought froze fries – got for it, I have prepared this recipe both ways and it makes little difference. If you are into deep frying and a bit of an oily mess, then yes by all means – fry up those suckers. And if you don’t want to bother with fries at all, just use the chili and toppings to put on top of a simple baked potato.
Note: make sure your avocado is ripe, or just slightly over ripe, so that the sauce can be smooth, not chunky.
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Chili Fries with Creamy Avocado Sauce
Ingredients
For homemade fries:
3 large russet (Idaho) potatoes, skins left on and scrubbed clean
olive oil
salt and pepper
For the chili:
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow or red bell pepper, diced
1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed and diced finely (optional)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 lb ground beef
14 oz can diced tomatoes, with or without chilis
For the creamy avocado sauce:
1 whole ripe avocado
juice and zest of one lime
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp cold water
1 Tbsp mayo
salt and pepper
Directions
To make the chili heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions, peppers and jalapeno. Sauté until soft, around 7-10 minutes. Add spices and continue cooking until fragrant, 2-3 minutes.
Add ground beef and begin breaking up with a wooden spoon. Cook until no longer pink. Add diced tomatoes.
Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in air tight container if not using right away.
To make homemade fries, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes into thin wedges and spread in an even layer on 2 or 3 baking sheets. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly using fingers.
Bake around 15-20 minutes, turning at least once, or until desired crispy-ness.
To make the creamy avocado sauce, remove pit and scoop avocado into a food processor fitted with blade attachment. Add lime juice and zest, cilantro, water, mayo and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until smooth.
To assemble, spread fries on a large plate or platter. Top with warm chili, avocado sauce, more fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeno or chopped scallions.
Serve immediately.
