Garlic and Herb Sweetpotato Fries

I just got beef and lamb tallow from US Wellness Meats. They have pretty awesome customer service. I asked them to ship my order Wednesday because I was going to be out of town and was returning Thursday evening. I was afraid that my meat would thaw on my door step in the 90 degree AZ heat. They shipped it Wednesday, My meat was still frozen when I got home. The quality is pretty awesome too. Sometimes grassfed meat can sometimes bee pretty tough and gamey. Their meat is tender and flavorful.

I asked Nikos if he wanted his sweetpotatoes fried in beef tallow or lamb tallow. He chose lamb.

2-3 Sweetpotatoes
1/4 cup fat (coconut oil or tallow for high heat cooking).
3 cloves garlic
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt, pepper, thyme, oregano to taste

Cut potatoes into thick fries. Add some salt. Heat pan with fat. I did it in 2 batches so I used half the oil with each batch. cook the potatoes until brown, turning to get all sides. when potatoes are almost done, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds-1 minute. Remove potatoes from pan, and put in serving bowl.  Add salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and squeeze lemon over fries and toss.

Ropa Vieja

Ropa Vieja is a traditional Cuban dish. It literally means "old clothes" and is probably called that because you cook it for a long time that the meat falls apart. It's freakin awesome with mashed plantains (aka Mofongo).

2 lbs flank steak
1/4 cup balsmic vinegar
2 cups beef broth
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried cilantro or 1 tsp fresh
1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

Marinate the steak in the balsmic vinegar and pepper over night. You could put some garlic in there too. I didn't because I was being lazy.

Put meat with vinegar in crock put. Add all the other ingredients. cook on low for 10 hours. Shred beef with 2 forks and cook for another 2 hours. Serve with plantains and something green.