Vegetarian Chilli with Crispy Salted Jacket Potatoes

Vegetarian Chilli with Crispy, Salted Jacket Potatoes

This is a perennial favourite, which is most apt for this cold, wet and windy evening. It probably couldn’t be more miserable outside, but this dish is wonderfully warming and comforting, and very easy! When I was still eating meat, Chilli con Carne was one of my favourite meals, and I never thought I would like the vegetarian version as much. Luckily, I’ve proved myself wrong, and don’t find myself missing the mince in this recipe at all. A really important part of this is getting the balance of flavours right – you want the kick of the chilli, the smokiness of the paprika and the freshness of the tomatoes and pepper to all shine through. Topped with yoghurt or sour cream, grated cheese and a crispy jacket potato, you really can’t go wrong with this one.

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 baking potatoes

Sunflower/vegetable oil

1 large red onion

4 cloves of garlic

1 large red pepper

2 tins chopped tomatoes

1 red chilli

1tsp smoked paprika (or whatever paprika you have in your cupboard!)

1tsp ground cumin

1 tin green lentils

1 tin red kidney beans

Butter, to serve

Sour cream/yoghurt, to serve

Grated cheddar, to serve

Salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 200c. Wash all the mud off the potatoes, then stab them with a fork a few times in various places, so as to avoid any in-oven explosions. Take each potato and coat them in sunflower or vegetable oil, then sprinkle salt all over the skins. Once the oven is hot, place the potatoes on a piece of foil in the oven and leave to cook for 1 1/2 – 2 hours (depending on how mammoth your potatoes are). Once they’re cooked you should be able to easily slide a knife into them, and their skins should be dark and crispy.

Once the potatoes have been in for about 20 minutes, start the chilli. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, and once hot add the onion and leave to fry until transparent and soft. Meanwhile, chop the garlic cloves, and add to the onion after 2-3 minutes, and fry for a further minute. Following this, chop the red pepper and the chilli and add to the pan, allowing them to fry for 1-2 minutes. (Tip: if your garlic or onion are getting a little too hot for your liking, add a splash more oil and this should stop them burning). Next, add the tinned tomatoes, paprika and cumin. Stir, bring to the boil and then turn down to a lower heat and leave to simmer for half an hour.

Whilst the beginnings of the chilli are bubbling away quietly, you could have a listen to Joe Pug’s latest album, The Great Despiser. Joe Pug plays a mixture of folk and americana, over which he lays his gravelly, older-than-his-years voice, and sings lyrics that speak of politics, heartbreak and his inner demons. An expert guitar and harmonica player (in combination!) Joe Pug creates beautiful, thought-provoking music, revealing his enormous talent as a song-writer and musician. This is one of several albums that Joe Pug has brought out in the last few years, and each is wonderful, and captures your ears in a way that very little other music can do these days. Both Pug’s voice and lyrics stand out on this new album, as he creates beautiful harmonies and melodies, yet retains a raw and invigorating feel to his brilliant songs. If you like the Great Despiser, then listen to every other song he’s ever produced, and you will love them too.

Once your chilli has been cooking for half an hour, drain and rinse both the kidney beans and lentils and add them to the chilli. Season with salt and pepper, and leave to cook for a further 20-30 minutes. Check on your potatoes to make sure that they are baking happily – if they seem a bit sad looking, whack up the temperature (and vice versa if they are cooking at speed)!

Once the potatoes are cooked, take them out of the oven and cut them in half. Place a knob of butter on each half and spread over the potato, allowing the butter to sink in as it melts. Put the potato halves on a plate, and help yourself to a hearty portion of the chilli to go alongside (or on top), topping it with a spoonful of yoghurt or sour cream and a tonne of grated cheese. Happy munching!