Vulture Mine Tostadas

This is my own creation. I named it for a mine near Wickenburg right here in Arizona. I've been making it for a number of years. It's a good cooler weather dinner. Instead of making the chili as instructed, you can use your favorite chili - even store-bought chili - and prepare the potatoes portion of the recipe, serving your chili over the mashed potatoes.

Prep: 15 min | Cook: 1 hr | Yield: 4 large "tostadas"

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 1/4 cups minced raw onion
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 1/3 cups tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin (comino)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 8 cups mashed potatoes
• 4 cups shredded lettuce (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped raw onion
• 3/4 cup grated longhorn or Cheddar

Instructions

1. Brown ground beef and onion, draining fat. Add pinto beans and tomato sauce, cooking for 15 minutes.
2. Combine chili powder, flour, water and a little salt; blend this paste into previous mixture. Cook for 45 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently.
3. Meanwhile, prepare mashed potatoes with butter, milk and black pepper, adding only enough milk to ensure rather stiff mashed potatoes.
4. To serve, spread mashed potatoes in dinner plate to resemble a 2-inch thick tostada (with a rim around the outer edge). Spoon chili into depression and top with lettuce, onion and cheese.

Attribution

From the kitchen of Linda Jolly, Arizona.