Chili Cheese Hash Brown Waffles
This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units).It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews.Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.
Yield: about 6 servings
Ingredients
Hash:
4 medium sweet potatoes, washed and grated (about 5 cups grated)
1 tablespoon salt
Chili Mixture:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Serrano chile peppers, seeded and diced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup water
1 (16 ounce) can lentils (or pinto beans)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons salsa verde
Waffles:
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
oil or melted butter for greasing iron
Optional toppings:
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Guacamole
Salsa
Hot sauce
Fresh cilantro
Instructions
Hash:
Fill a medium mixing bowl about halfway full of water and stir in 1 tablespoon salt. Add the grated potatoes to the bowl as you grate them and then allow them to soak for about 30 minutes while making the chili.
Chili Mixture:
Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat with the onion and garlic until browned, breaking up meat as it cooks. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the water, tomato paste, and beans and stir into beef. Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small dish until smooth, then add to pan along with all the rest of chili ingredients and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until thickened.
Waffles:
Drain the potatoes in a large strainer, then pour them onto a clean kitchen towel and wrap into a bundle. Squeeze out as much of the liquid from the potatoes as you can then pour them out into a large, clean, mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs, pepper, and flour in a small bowl and pour out over potatoes. Add the chili mixture and cheese to bowl and stir everything together.
Heat your waffle iron (to medium-high if it has settings) and brush it well with oil when hot. Spoon about 1 cup of mixture into waffle iron (you can adjust amount based on the size of your waffle iron) and press down the lid to close. Cook for 8 – 12 minutes until browned and crispy!
Serve hot with desired toppings.
Slightly adapted from a recipe from gringalicious.com