Mom’s Picadillo Con Papa

🍽️ Mom’s Picadillo con Papa

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20 is best)

• 2 tbsp oil

• 1 small onion, finely diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2–3 medium potatoes, peeled & diced

• 1 (14–15 oz) can tomato sauce
  (or 2 fresh tomatoes, blended)

• ½ cup beef or chicken broth (as needed)

• 1 tsp salt (to taste)

• ½ tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp paprika

• Optional add-ins (very mom-approved):

  • ½ cup peas

  • 1 small carrot, diced

  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

1. Brown the beef
   Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain excess grease if needed.

2. Build the flavor
   Add onion and garlic. Cook until soft and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes.

3. Add potatoes
   Stir in diced potatoes, salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika. Let them cook for 2–3 minutes to soak up flavor.

4. Sauce it up
   Pour in tomato sauce and enough broth to barely cover everything. Add bay leaf if using.

5. Simmer
   Cover and simmer on low 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and the sauce thickens.

6. Finish
   Stir in peas or carrots (if using). Simmer uncovered 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

How Mom Serves It

• Over steamed white rice 🍚

• With warm flour or corn tortillas

• Maybe a side of refried beans

• And always with love (non-negotiable)

Little Mom Tricks

• Dice potatoes small so they cook evenly.

• If it dries out, add a splash of broth—picadillo should be saucy, not soupy.

• Next-day leftovers? Even better.

If you want, I can tweak it to:

• Mexican-style (with chile & oregano)

• Puerto Rican (with olives & sofrito)

• Cuban (sweet-savory vibes)