Coney Island Chili Cheese Fries & Dogs

Ok. So much craving. I just had to make this recipe happen. My version is actually kind of sacrilegious. . . I used a ton of dairy because it's rich, it's creamy, and it makes everything more delicious. Hope you enjoy it!

Beef Better Than Bullion

Olive Oil

Water

Ground Beef

Sour Cream

Cream Cheese

Salt

Cumin

Chili Powder

Garlic Powder

Diced Yellow Onion

Diced Tomato

-Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add a teaspoon or two of bullion until it starts breaking down. Add 1/2 cup of water and turn up the heat to medium-high. 

-Add beef and break down with a wooden spoon into small pieces. Cook all the way through. 

-Make well in center of beef and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. 

-Add spices to taste and add several dollops of cream cheese and sour cream to the well. Stir dairy/spice mix into meat. 

-Add additional water and spices to taste and to achieve desired thickness.

-Add diced onions and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the water has cooked out. 

Hot Dogs

Buns (optional)

Shredded Cheddar

Diced Onion (I used green onions)

-Prepare hot dogs and fries however you want (I grilled my dogs and used frozen pre-prepared fries baked in the oven). 

-Melt cheese over fries and top with chili sauce.

-Top hot dogs with chili sauce, shredded cheese, onions, and whatever other toppings you like!

Beef & Potatoes with Spicy Cumin Sauce

Do you ever think up dinner ideas on your way home based solely on what's in the fridge? Well this was one of those nights. I love making up new recipes as I go, and I gota say, this recipe was a winner (though I've had my share of new recipe disasters). Without further ado:

Potatoes:

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Olive Oil

Salt

Garlic Powder

-Preheat oven to 425°

-Dice potatoes and toss in olive oil until well coated. 

-On a foil lined baking sheet, spread potatoes out to a single layer. 

-Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. 

-Bake for ~45 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through. Flip occasionally and add more oil if necessary. 

-Optional: turn up the heat to 450° for the last 15 minutes for crispier potatoes. 

Beef: (start this when the potatoes are almost done)

Diced Red Meat (the good stuff)

Olive Oil

Salt

Lime

-Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. 

-Add meat and sprinkle with salt. 

-Flip occasionally until outside of beef is no longer pink. 

-Turn up heat and flash fry the outside until brown (do this as quickly as you can so the meat doesn't cook all the way through). 

-Place meat on top of potatoes and lightly squeeze a little lime juice on top. 

Cumin Sauce:

Olive Oil

Cumin

Chili Powder

Garlic Powder

Cayenne Pepper

Salt

Cream Cheese

Half & Half

Cilantro

-Use pan that was cooking the meat and add aditional olive oil if necessary (you don't want too much, just enough to cook the spices in so a few tablespoons)

-Add spices: use whatever combo you want, making the main ingredient the cumin. Add desired amount of heat with the cayenne pepper. 

-Once spices are stirred in and becoming aromatic, add the cream cheese and half & half (not too much liquid or it will be soupy). 

-Stir clots of cream cheese and help to break them down and blend into sauce. 

-Turn up the heat a little and allow to thicken (if you added too much liquid you can use cornstarch or similar to thicken). 

-Drizzle sauce on top of meat and potatoes and garnish with cilantro. 

As with most of my recipes, taste as you go to get your perfect blend!