Today's Recipe is .....

For dinner on Monday night, I tried a new recipe that daughter Pam had seen prepared on the Rachael Ray show.  I'm not much of a chili eater, but this was so good.  The texture of the hash browns mixed with the cheese was great.  The only substitution I made was to use white kidney beans instead of the red kidney beans. So, here's the recipe.  

CHEESY HASH BROWN CHILI

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 can red kidney beans (15 ounces)
1 can diced tomatoes (15 ounces)
1 bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes (1 pound)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
PREPARATION:

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven.

In a large saucepan, heat the EVOO over medium heat. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the onion, chili powder and cumin, and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Transfer to an 8-inch x 11-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and cheese. Scatter the potato mixture over the chili. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until the potatoes are cooked through and the chili is bubbling, about 35 minutes.