Mexican Ground Beef and Potatoes (Picadillo de Carne Molida)

1. Prepare the sauce: Stem the 1 to 2 jalapeno chiles (if you only want to use half, you’ll cut one in half after it cooks). Put them in a 5-quart (4.8 L) Dutch oven or saucepan with the 1 pound (450 g) plum tomatoes (about 4 medium) and the 1 to 4 arbol chiles or 1 to 8 piquin chiles, if using. Cover everything with at least 2 inches (5 cm) of tap water.
2. Put the pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Give everything a quick stir, then lower the heat so that the pot cooks at a strong simmer—you will have lots of bubbles, but it won’t boil over. Let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tomatoes and chiles are soft and the jalapenos turn an army green. (The tomato skin will also begin to peel away.)
3. Remove the tomatoes and chiles from the pot to a blender using a slotted spoon and let them cool. If you want to use only 1/2 jalapeno, put only half in the blender. (If you have a high-speed blender, you don’t need to let them cool—you can move on to the next step immediately.) Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the Diamond Crystal kosher salt and 3/4 cup (175 ml) tap water. Blend everything on high for about 1 minute, until the tomatoes and chiles are fully smooth, fluffy, and lighter in color.
4. Set aside 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of this sauce for the picadillo. Set aside the rest of the sauce in a small serving bowl to serve with the picadillo as extra salsa. (It will likely be very spicy from the chiles if you taste it while it’s still warm, but their intensity will fade a bit as it cools.)
5. Prepare the rest of the ingredients: Peel the 3/4 pound (340 g) russet potatoes (about 1 large) and cut them into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) cubes. You should end up with about 2 cups.
6. Smash the 1/2 ounce (15 g) garlic (about 4 medium cloves) with the flat side of a chef’s knife so that they break apart. Then peel the cloves and cut them in half lengthwise. Set the garlic aside in another small bowl.
7. Cook the picadillo: Heat the 3 tablespoons neutral oil in a 12-inch (30 cm) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the 1 pound (450 g) ground beef (20% fat), stirring it and breaking it up with a spatula or wooden spoon.
8. Once the meat is completely broken up and evenly distributed, stir in the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt and the garlic halves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef just begins to brown. (It does not need to be fully cooked through everywhere, just browned in spots.)
9. Stir in the potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let the beef and potatoes cook, stirring occasionally to make sure they are cooking evenly, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just al dente—no longer raw, but not yet fully soft.
10. Add the reserved 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) salsa to the pan with the beef and potatoes and raise the heat to medium-high to bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low so that the liquid is cooking at a simmer. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked through, usually 10 to 15 minutes more. Turn off the heat and keep the picadillo warm until you’re ready to serve it.
11. Prepare the sides: Taste the leftover salsa for salt just before you’re ready to serve the picadillo and put it out on the table.
12. Cut the 1 ripe avocado into wedges, if using, and put them out on a serving platter. The easiest way to do this is to cut the wedges with the peel still on and serve them that way—then each person either peels off the avocado from the skin when they’re ready to eat it or uses a spoon or knife to cut pieces directly off the skin.
13. Cut the queso fresco or queso blanco into slices about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) thick, if using, and put them on the serving platter next to the avocado. Warm or reheat the flour or corn tortillas, if you haven’t done so already. Both corn tortillas and flour tortillas are very common in northern Mexico, and you could serve either kind with the picadillo—or even both. Just make sure they’re fresh and warm.
14. Serve and eat the picadillo: You can serve the picadillo in one of two ways. You could serve it at the center of a plate, paired with tortillas, wedges of ripe avocado or sliced cheeses, the leftover salsa, and any sides. Each diner can make their own tacos or just tear off a piece of tortilla and use it to scoop up a little picadillo. You can also serve the picadillo premade into tacos by putting just a few spoonfuls of  picadillo into each tortilla and then tucking the tacos into a basket or serving dish covered with a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm. You serve the avocado and cheese on the side with extra tortillas.

Note: Angie will also sometimes substitute 1 large or 2 medium tomatillos for 1 of the plum tomatoes, if she has them on hand. They have a bright, sour flavor and add just a little more acidity to the dish.

– Recipe from The League of Kitchens Cookbook: Brilliant Tips, Secret Methods and Favorite Family Recipes from Around the World