Carne y papas guisadas en salsa de tomate (Beef and potato stew in tomato sauce)

Hearty meal that the entire family will enjoy (May contain affiliated links)

Potato is my favorite starchy vegetable, I mean it's so versatile that who doesn't love it? One of my preferred ways of eating it is in a stew. Growing up my mom made Carne y papas guisadas en salsa de tomate (Beef and potato stew in tomato sauce), it was my absolute favorite to take a bite that included the potato and sauce over a white rice.

Now I know that every country has this dish or a very similar dish to this. In the Salvadoran cuisine it's very common that any stews are made with a tomato based sauce. Over the years I've evolved my mom's recipe to include bits and pieces from other recipes that I've tried through my friends and now family. I use peppers in my sauce which is influenced by the Mexican versions of this dish I've tried, but I've also incorporated "Puerto Rican sofrito" from my husbands side, all while enhancing my moms original recipe.

What is carne y papas guisandas en salsa de tomate?

This dish essentially can be done with chicken or beef, my mom made both growing up. Feel free to choose your desired protein. In this case the beef is cut into 1-2 inch pieces and seasoned before searing. Then the beef chunks are cooked in the sauce until tender with the potato or any other vegetable added in the last 10 mins.

In El Salvador normally a meal is made up of rice, protein, beans and tortillas. It can be a bit heavy for someone who is not used to it so I personally like to skip out on the every day tortillas and beans, and opt for some green vegetables as my sides. You can eat it with any rice, the typical Salvadoran rice is made with vegetables such as carrots, peas, green beans, corn, cilantro and more. I prefer a simple white rice to allow the sauce from the beef stew to give it all the flavor, but it's truly up to you.

How to make Carne y papas guisadas?

You will need a pot big enough to fit your protein, vegetables and sauce. This may depend on how much you are wanting to make, the recipe below is for two pounds of meat.

Beef and seasoning: Adjust the measurement to taste and exclude any ingredients you don't like!

• 2lbs of beef (Your preferred cut)

• Mustard

• 1 tsp Cumin

• 2 tsp Garlic powder

• 1 tsp Ground pepper

• 1 tbsp Beef bouillon: I use the Knorr brand, if you use one without salt you may have to add salt.

• 2-3 tbsp of olive oil

Tomato Sauce:

• 1 white onion

• 5-6 roma tomatoes

• 1 big red sweet pepper or 3-4 smalls ones

• 2 tbsp Puerto Rican sofrito

• 1 tbsp Minced garlic

• 1 tsp Black Pepper

• 1 tsp Oregano

• 1 tsp Paprika

Vegetable: You can add in any additional vegetables you want (Carrots, zucchini, squash)

• 2 russet potato

1. Begin by prepping your potatoes; peel and cut them into small squared pieces of about 1/2- 1 inch pieces.

2. Prepare the vegetables for the sauce: tomatoes, garlic, peppers and onion. Cut the onion into big chunks

3. Cut your meat into 1-2 inch cubes or desired size and add the seasonings listed bellow. Adjust ingredients as needed.

4. Place your pot on medium heat and when ready add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the pieces of beef to sear. Do not add too many pieces at once at it may cause the meat to start stewing and we don't want that yet so make sure you leave enough room to sear.

5. Once the meat is seared, put it to the side and add your tomato, garlic, peppers and onions to sear for 2-3 minutes.

6. Add the veggies from the pot into a blender with the seasonings for the tomato sauce

7. Add your meat back to the pot and pour the sauce into the pot. Mix it well, cover and cook until the meat is tender. This normally takes about 1-2 hours on low -medium heat.

8. Once the meat is tender add in the potatoes or additional vegetables you like and cook for an additional 10 mins. Once done turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.

9. Serve over white rice and enjoy!

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