Churrasco a lo Pobre

-Joe-

Last week Lauren, Sam, and I cooked a meal so satisfying that I have to write about it. The dish was called "Churrasco a lo Pobre," which literally translates to "the poor man's beef." I assume it has been giving the name because the ingredients are rather basic--fundamental, really, as if even the poor man could afford to prepare this for himself---and the presentation is usually far from elegant.

I first came across this dish at a stinky bar called La Piojera, which means "the lice-ridden place." It soon became my favorite "regional" dish in Chile, and I say "regional" because I have since found in on the menu at almost every bar and restaurant I've frequented while down here, and I have not seen something remotely similar to it in the US. So I assume it is somewhat exclusive to South America or Chile, but the truth of this matter is not a concern for me.

What IS exciting is that I have found a dish that features french fries (or home fries) not as a side but a chief ingredient---a gastronomical component that is intrinsic to the makeup of the entree, playing a pivotal role rather than being relegated to an auxiliary character that can be substituted for rice or mashed potatoes or a salad. This dish demands french/home fries, and since I love french fries I must eat this dish once a week to sate my craving. Finally, I decided that I should attempt to create this dish myself from scratch, so Sam and I invited Lauren over to our apartment and the three of us got cooking. 

First, I sliced four potatoes into thin discs, each piece 1/8 of an inch thick, and spread them  out across a greased-up cooking sheet. I then liberally coated the slices in sunflower oil, salt, allspice, cumin, and paprika. The potatoes went into the oven to bake, at the highest heat setting available (although perhaps this was overkill) until they were cooked through, dark with spices, and somewhat crispy. These home fries formed the base of the dish.

Meanwhile, Sam and Lauren marinated some thinly-sliced beefsteak in Aji (crushed red pepper) BBQ sauce and covered the slabs in minced garlic. The beef was hammered (punched, actually) by Sam to tenderize it and work the garlic into the sinews. The girls proceeded to pan-fry the steaks in some oil on the stove until they were no longer rare but evenly browned. I took the steaks off the stove and sliced them into thin, 1/2 inch strips and laid them over the home fries. Finally, we drizzled the garlic-pepper-blood sauce that remained in the the pan over our churrasco. 

Next I caramelized 1 whole onion (chopped) over the stove until the pieces were golden-brown and steaming. These were draped over the steak slices.

The finishing touch was an egg...For each plate, Sam and Lauren cracked one egg into a pan and fried it sunny-side up. The sunny-side eggs were laid gently over the piles of spicy home fries, steak strips, and buttery browned onions. The dish was ready:

For a side, we also had some rice...but this isn't traditionally part of the recipe

Before you begin eating, there is one ceremony that I recommend you participate in: with your fork, poke open the yolk and let the yellow run down the platter of food, like a river, drenching the onions, then the steak, and finally the potatoes. Everything here tastes better coated in egg yolk, and you will find yourself dipping the few pieces that were spared in what yellow remains pooled around the rim of the plate. 

We three feasted blissfully that evening on our homemade Churrasco a lo Pobre. The only words spokeny for twenty minutes were "Mmm, this is really good." I think it was the tastiest dish I have cooked so far, and lately I have been making all of my meals, so that says something, right? If you love someone, and need a way to say it, cook them this.

Sam is saying, "Come on bro! Take the damn picture so I can chow!"