Chili Cheese Fries

                Today was a dance class day, so I needed to come up with a dinner plan.  I hate cooking in the evening.  I am very much a morning person.  Then inspiration hit when my 11 year old handed me a sack of potatoes.  "Can you make french fries, mom", she said with pleading eyes.  I had a pound of ground beef that needed to be cooked.  So, what could I make with potatoes and ground beef that would not ruin my day.  Chili, off course.  It can cook itself after a start in a pot.
                 I made the fries, which I bake, in the oven at lunch time and just put them in an oiled ziploc bag for reheat later.
                 Putting the dish together when I got home was a snap.



Ingredients

1. 1 onion
2. 1 pound ground beef (I used 93% fat free)
3. 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
4. 1 roasted pepper sliced, or you can use one fresh pepper sliced
5. 1 cup chicken broth
6. 4 garlic cloves, minced
7. 1 Tbl chili powder
8. 1 tsp cumin
9. 1 1/2 tsp salt
10. 1 bag yukon gold potatoes (russets would be fine, I'm sure)
11. Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
12. Sour cream

First make the fries.  I bake mine.  I don't have an exact recipe, so I'll explain it.  Heat the oven to 425F.  Slice up the potatoes.  I make them steak fries, so the shape doesn't have to be perfect.  I just try and keep the sizing similar for even cooking.  I put the sliced potatoes into a ziploc and add about 1/4 cup of olive or canola oil.  Then I add spices.  I will add salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.  I then seal the bag and shake so that the spices and oil mix evenly.

Spread them out on a greased baking sheet.  Put them in the oven.  After about 30 minutes, turn them.  The bottoms should be brown.  Leave them in for another 20 minutes or until the undersides are brown.

Since I was leaving the house later, I put them back in the oily ziploc and refrigerated them.

For the chili, I minced the onion and sauteed it in a pot with 1 Tbl of olive oil.  I sauteed them for 5 minutes and then added the ground beef.  I sauteed the beef until it was fully cooked, breaking it up into small pieces.

Then I added the garlic, spices, crushed tomato, and chicken broth.  I let that cook for 10 minutes and then transferred it to my slow cooker.  I set the slow cooker for 4 hours on low, at which point I knew I would be back home.

The potatoes got reheated for 10 minutes at 425F.  I then placed them in a serving dish.  I topped them with a sprinkling of cheese. (This amount is to your desire.)  I then topped it with chili.  The heat from the chili melts the cheese.

Then place the chili and fries in a bowl.  You can top it with more cheese and also sour cream.  I didn't get a picture of this.  I was so hungry, that I forgot.