COOKING WITH BRAYDEN EP1
:SANTA FE STEW
There’s a handful of dinners I get giddy for, Santa Fe Stew is one of them. It’s like if sweatpants and your favorite hoodie became a meal. Gooey, cheesy, creamy, salty, meaty, crunchy… the American umami. The best part: it’s absurdly simple to make.
It’s a perfect one for the little hands in the family to get dirty, too. Bray has a blast opening all the cans with mom and pouring the contents into the pot, while dad obviously cooks the meat (*best Tim-the-toolman-Taylor grunt). Now that the weather is finally starting to turn, hockey is back, and Sunday football is starting to matter more, we’re gonna let you in on one of our fam favs. Heads up, this dish makes you fart. A lot. 💩👍🏻
INGREDIENTS:
Pinto Beans
Kidney Beans
Rotel (original)
Can o sweet corn
Large can of diced tomatoes
Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning packet
Taco seasoning packet
80/20 ground beef
Fritos
Beer 👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻 optional, goes great with Paulaner’s October Fest
Salt (we use a pink Himalayan salt grinder, but sea salt is great, kosher salt is also just fine)
Black pep (freshly ground is best)
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Chipotle Powder (the secret ingredient)
A large pot & a skillet/pan
I said 80/20 ground beef, but what I really meant was 80/20 ground beef.
We want fat content folks. That’s where the flavor is. Don’t skimp on me, or think you’re making a healthier version with some 90/10 lean malarkey. We’re not shooting for healthy here, we’re crankin’ that comfy meter to 11. Why do you think you’re wearing sweat pants anyways? It’s not because you’re going out later, so chill, and get that 80/20. I’ll also foreshadow: we are not, and I repeat ARE NOT going to drain the meat after cooking.
STEP 1: SEASON AND COOK THAT BEEF
There’s a chef Lo and I used to watch on Bon Appetit back in the day who jumped ship and started her own thing at some point. Her name is Molly Baz, and her game is making tastebuds flip the eff out.
One of my favorites of her taglines is, “YoU’rE pRoBs nOt UsInG eNoUgH SaLt” There’s a LOT of liquid from the cans of stuff we’re sloshing together, and you’re going to want to give a healthy amount of love to this ground beef to retain that taste.
When you start to brown the ground beef, be generous with your salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can pump the breaks a little on the onion powder, and then dash that chipotle in there to taste.
Essentially, you want a fresh snowfall on the top the ground beef in the pan, and then a few shakes of that chipotle. I don’t use exact measurements here, so if this is your first time seasoning… do the taste test! It’s the best part about cooking.
STEP 2: DUMP EVERYTHING ELSE INTO THE POT
Here’s a pro tip from Lo: wash off the tops of the cans before opening them with the can opener. These cans can find themselves in some nasty places at the store, in shipping, etc. A quick rinse under the faucet does the trick, then: open and pour, open and pour, open and pour, TEAR and pour. Done.
(Just to be more clear: add the Pinto + Kidney beans, Corn, Rotel, Diced Tomatoes, Ranch + Taco Seasoning packets to the pot. Don’t drain any liquid, just open cans and pour EVERYTHING in)
STEP 3: ADD THE BEEF & FAT TO THE POT
Read the heading of this section again, then look at the picture. You see that little drip in the middle of the pan there? Fat. Flavor. You want that drip, and his little buddies too. Scrape it alllll in there, don’t drain the meat. For all that is holy, do not drain the meat.
After that, a little stir action then set it on the stovetop on Medium to Med-High and get it to a slight boil, just as the bubbles start to form and pop. Let that reduce to your taste - I like it a bit thicker, my wife likes it a bit thinner. You can decide who’s right (I’m right).
STEP 4: STEAL A CHIP
STEP 5: SERVE AND DEVOUR
Here’s something we learned just recently - cheddar IS NOT yellow. The yellow color is a dye additive. So if you’re cognizant of all the little things that go into your body, and you’re trying to cut more of the weird stuff out, look for white cheddar - I call it “cheddar.”
The way I do it is I flop a healthy dollop of sour cream on the bottom of my bowl, then I cover that in a layer of “cheddar,” then scoop as many scoops as will fit before it starts dripping down the side of the bowl. Then I grab a seat on the couch and about 42 Fritos scoops and go to town. Then I try not to fall asleep, but I’m a dad now so my dozing-off game is SUPER strong. And Bob’s your uncle.
There you have it, santa fe stew, waldron style.
You’ll have it once, and then there will be the days after that you pull into the driveway, walk through the door to find your wife gripping a wooden spoon a bit harder than usual. The floor’s a mess with crafts and robots, and there’s a faint smell of used diapers wafting through the stale air. You’ll turn to each other wincing a welcoming grin, but deep down you both know it’s “bin’na day.” A few minutes go by as you build a pile of your work things by the stairs, and she wipes something off the counter. You don’t ask. You’ll recite the familiar script of hello’s, how was your day’s, and what do you want for dinner…
It’s then you’ll know exactly what you both want. Grab your sweatpants, baby.