In celebration of National Chip Week. Make yourself the ultimate chip dish with MEATliquor’s Layover Chili, the perfect dish to test how well you can handle the heat.

From The MEATliquor Chronicles: Chapter and Verse cookbook

Layover Chili

What you need

  • 1kg Potatoes 
  • 1.5l beef stock 
  • 1kg minced chuck steak 
  • 2 finely diced white onions 
  • 3-4 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1tbsp tomato paste 
  • A significant amount of ground cumin 
  • A large pinch each of chilli powder, cayenne pepper, paprika and black pepper 
  • A hefty sprinkle of coriander
  • A good shake of dried oregano 
  • A handful of minced pickled jalapeños 
  • A squirt of ketchup 
  • A similarly sized squirt of French’s mustard 
  • A bottle of beer 
  • Salt and pepper 

For the garnish 

  • Grated cheese 
  • Minced onions
  • Mustard 
  • Minced jalapeños 

What you do

Gently sauté the onions and garlic in a large pot. Remove and set aside just as they start to brown. 

Fry the beef and the tomato paste until it’s a deep brown. Break it up as fine as it will go. Add the beef Stock and deglaze the pan with the beer. The liquid should completely cover the meat. It it doesn’t, add some beer.

Add the sautéd onions and garlic. Add the minced jalapeños and the spices. Don’t add any salt – theres already loads in the stock. 

Adjust the spicing to your taste, adding little bits at a time and letting it cook in for 5 minutes before tasting. Don’t be shy with spicing; it’s a Chili, not aBolognese. You should be able to taste the earthy flavour of the cumin through the hot stuff… Adjust the balance with a couple of squirts of ketchup and mustard. 

Keep it simmering over a low heat for at least a couple of hours; the longer the better. Stir it occasionally.

Now’s the time to adjust the seasoning with a bit of salt and pepper. Once again – go easy on the salt. 

If more liquid is needed add more beer. 

Ideally, let it rest after cooking for at least an hour. It actually gets significantly better if you leave it overnight and eat it the following day. 

Serve over some fries, top with mustard, grated cheese, minced jalapeños and some minced white onions. 

By Recipes