Picadillo de Papa

From: This recipe came straight from my mother-in-law's mother-in-love's kitchen.  I still remember sitting on the stool at her kitchen counter, when my husband and I were dating, jotting down measurements and ingredients as she tossed them into the pot.  In fact...

I still pull out that battered piece of paper and unfold it to follow her recipe.  It gives me warm Costa Rican fuzzies.

Ingredients:

5 potatoes peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1/3 of a red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 of an onion finely chopped
2 or 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 celery sticks finely sliced
1 lb of ground beef
1/4 tsp of achiote paste (optional)
salt
1/2 tsp oregano
2 cups of water
vegetable or olive oil

How to:  

Start by chopping the potatoes and set aside.  Next chop the red pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro and celery and place in a large pot with about a tablespoon of oil.  Turn the stove on high heat and sear for about two minutes before adding the ground beef.  Lower the heat to medium and brown the meat.  While browning the meat, add the achiote, the oregano and about a teaspoon of salt.  Once the meat is cooked, add the potatoes and water.  Leave the heat on medium or high until it returns to boil and then simmer until the potatoes are soft.  Liberally add salt to taste.

Side notes:

 Serves 4 - 6.  This recipe is great topped with a little bit of jalapeño pepper or the juice from the jalapeño pepper jar.