San Francisco Sloppy Joes, Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Avocado Dip & Home Alone
So it’s all holiday cheer here still and I wanted to watch something from my childhood- enter Home Alone. It was kind of hard to think up a good meal pairing for this, I mean cheese pizza was a given but too simple and who can forget the line: “Fuller, Go Easy on the Pepsi”? So I had to think what meals did I have growing up and were just so 90’s to me then DING! I got it. Sloppy Joes. I loved being allowed to make a mess as a kid and although slightly more refined now there was a fun pleasure to being covered in sloppy-sloppy joes.
Of course I wanted to fancy it up a bit and I was thrilled to find this San Francisco Sloppy Joe recipe from Married with Dinner. They add chorizo and roasted chiles which really makes it an exciting new take on the out-of-packet seasoning I remembered. Since our sandwiches.. or are they burgers?… got a makeover we decided to do it with the fries too and made spicy sweet potato fries! After all this getup and kick (AHHHHH!!!) we really did need the Avocado Dip to cool down. And the movie, well it’s just perfect.
San Francisco Sloppy Joes
Ingredients:
1 pound Mexican-style chorizo
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole Anaheim chiles, fresh or canned (or other mild green chiles)
2 cups tomato sauce
1 T ground red chile, or more to taste
salt and pepper
hamburger buns
shredded cheddar cheese and diced raw onion for garnish, if desired
Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Avocado Dip
Ingredients:
Sweet Potato Fries:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into 4-inch long and 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick fries
2 tablespoons olive oil, or more as needed
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste
Avocado Dip:
1 avocado
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup cream cheese
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 scallions, white and light green part only, chopped
1 lime juiced
salt and pepper to taste
Sloppy Joes: If using fresh chiles, roast over an open flame or under the broiler, turning to cook all sides until black and blistered. Place charred chiles in a paper bag and roll the top tightly to steam; set aside. If using canned chiles, drain and rinse two large whole chiles and set aside.
Saute the chorizo in a large skillet over medium heat until browned. Remove the meat from the pan to a large bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet. Saute the beef in the chorizo fat, breaking up large chunks. When mostly cooked, add the onion and garlic and cook a minute or two until translucent. Return the beef to the pan, and add the tomato sauce and red chile. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer.
If using fresh chiles, peel the charred skins off the steamed chiles; do not rinse. Cut the chiles (canned or roasted) into 1/2-inch pieces, and stir into the simmering meat mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced to a spoonable thickness.
Serve over toasted hamburger buns, garnished with shredded cheese and/or raw onions.
Sweet Potato Fries: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil until the sweet potatoes are coated. Add the paprika, chili powder, coriander, salt, and pepper; toss to distribute evenly. Arrange the coated fries in a single layer on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower rack until the sweet potatoes soften. Transfer the pan to the upper rack of the oven and bake 10 minutes longer, until fries are crispy.
Avocado Dip: Place the avocado, mayonnaise, cream cheese, jalapeno, scallions, and lime juice into a blender or small food processor. Blend for 1 minute or until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.