We all need comfort food from time to time, especially when it’s a rainy day in spring and you just need some tasty and warm fill-your-belly food. This Chili Fries recipe is your perfect comfort food for any Whole30 or Paleo diet, and has none of the inflammatory ingredients that you might find at your local bar or diner. This is a favorite and quick weeknight meal, and takes a little over 30 minutes to prepare, but is well worth the deliciousness!
I personally love re-making and re-inventing my favorite recipes at home for a variety of reasons. I’ve listed a few below as great reasons to cook at home.
Reasons to make your favorite comfort food at home
1. Controlling the ingredients
If you are super sensitive to certain ingredients like I can be, it can be incredibly disheartening to go out to eat and have something upset your stomach. For example, fries, made from potatoes, are usually a completely compliant ingredient for my microbiome. Unfortunately for me, many foods are fried in soybean oil or vegetable oil, which also contains soy. As a soy intolerant person AND someone who loves fries, this often takes them off the menu for me.
2. It’s almost always cheaper
This is an obvious one, but cannot be understated. By saving a few dollars here and there, you can do more things with your life. Want to get some new clothes? New backpacking gear? More fun toys? Go on that trip? If you choose to make a few more meals at your home instead of going out, it can save you more money than you might think. There are a few exceptions to this rule, of course, but on the whole, making food at home is a great way to save money elsewhere.
3. Left overs means you get to eat it again!
Chances are, if you’re taking the time to cook up some dinner (especially on a weeknight), you’re not going to make enough food for just that one meal. Doubling, even tripling recipes saves you time in the future, and when you’re making something as amazing as chili fries, it’s an easy justification to make more for later!
Also, I’m not gonna lie – the photos for this recipe did not turn out as I planned, mostly because I couldn’t wait to eat it every single time I ate this recipe and it’s leftovers. I hope you feel half as excited to eat these leftovers as I am!
How to make Chili Fries
This recipe can be a fridge cleaner – chili is a great way to get rid of veggies that are at the end of their life and need to be used up. For this recipe, I love using the following ingredients:
- Yukon gold potatoes for the fries
- tomatoes
- onion
- sweet peppers
- spicy peppers
- zucchini
- ground beef (chicken or turkey also work well)
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- chili powder
- cayenne pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- arrowroot powder (optional for thickening)
First, prepare the potatoes by washing them and slicing them into fry-like shapes. You can choose to peel them or not, but I often do not peel them because I want to save time. Feel free to do whatever suits you!
Toss the potatoes in some olive oil and salt, and add them to the Air Fryer. Cook them at 360°F for about 15-20 minutes. Depending on your Air Fryer and how thick your fries are, you might need to rotate them/shake around the fryer basket. Cook the fries until golden and crispy.
While the fries are cooking, heat a larger pot over medium heat. Add your ground meat of choice. Stir until it is cooked. Add in diced onions and peppers. After the diced onions and peppers have had some time to cook, add in the diced tomatoes and any other vegetables you’d like to add in. Add in your spices and stir until fragrant. Allow the meat and vegetable mixture to cook until all the vegetables have cooked through.
As an option, you can add some arrow root powder to thicken the chili. I recommend stirring the chili briskly and lightly sprinkling the arrowroot powder over the top of the chili; if you add in large portions of arrowroot powder, it tends to clump up rather than thicken your food.
Once your chili is the desired consistency, serve it over your golden crispy fries, and enjoy your delicious meal at home.
Chili Fries (Paleo, Whole30)
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
For the fries:
- 4 yukon gold potatoes, cut into fry shapes
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
For the Chili
- 1 lb ground meat of choice
- 2 jalapeño peppers, diced
- 1 white or yellow onion, diced
- 2 sweet bell peppers, diced
- 5 tomatoes, diced
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder to thicken (optional)
Instructions
- Clean and slice potatoes into fry shapes. Toss them in some olive oil and salt and place them in the Air Fryer at 370°F for 15 minutes.
- While the fries are cooking, add the ground meat to a heated pot. Stir to cook.
- Once the meat has started to brown, add in the diced jalapeño peppers, onions, and sweet peppers.
- After some of the vegetables have cooked, add in your diced tomato. Be sure to stir frequently so nothing burns.
- Add in the salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, and chili powder. Stir.
- If the consistency of your chili is too watery, add in 1-2 tbsp of arrowroot powder to thicken it. Do not dump it in all at once. Stir the pot briskly while sprinkling in the arrowroot powder to avoid clumping.
- Once the fries and chili are done, serve the chili over the fries.