by Ouisue Packard
Prep Time 0:10
Cook Time 7-9 hours in slow cooker
The lowly slow-cooker can be the BrokeAss chef de cuisine’s dearest friend. It takes cheap cuts of meat and through the miracle of slow cooking, breaks down those tough proteins from bargain cuts of meat and woody root vegetables to a silky texture—add in Gabi’s friend the immersion blender, and you have real creative possibilities. This recipe calls for Andouille sausage—I use turkey andouille not only to cut fat but because I can buy a nitrate-free brand—it marries the spicy sausage to sweet potatoes and uses a good IPA (or Bud if that is all you have in the fridge—let me just say, the darker the beer, the more flavorful the stew) as a carrier that mellows the disparate flavors into a spicy blend. A few handfuls of fresh spinach thrown in during the last 10 minutes of cooking is a nice optional touch.
- Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, quartered and sliced $1
- 1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into a large dice $0.50
- 2 stalks of celery sliced $1
- 1 pound cooked turkey (or pork) andouille sausage, sliced into rounds $6
- 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes $0.50
- ½ onion, diced $0.50
- 2 minced garlic cloves Pantry
- 1 12 oz bottle of i.p.a. or good amber beer $6 (for a 6-pack)
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp cumin $1.50 for 1 oz.
- pepper to taste Pantry
Combine all ingredients and put crockpot on low for 7-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Sweet potatoes should be fork tender. Use an immersion blender (or puree in a blender or food processor) to blend about a third of the stew or until it is a ratio of solid-to-puree that pleases you: I like to still be able to see chunks of tender sweet potato and rounds of spicy sausage. Serve with more beer and a fun salad or some pan roasted asparagus.
Ouisue (pronounced Wee-zee) Packard is a psychologist in Santa Rosa, CA and a fabulous cook. She is also Gabi's mom.
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