Southwestern Layered Bean Dip

This is the ultimate bean dip. It has cheese, salsa, avocado, olives, beans, sour cream —everything you could ever want in a bean dip. After spreading thin layer on top of thin layer on top of thin layer, we scoop it up with tortilla chips. We make it to celebrate the birth of every New Year and it’s always just as good as we remember. I (Amelia) even have it for breakfast, though I admit that’s just me.

This recipe is the brainchild of my lovely grandmother, Kathleen Stewart, who knows her way around dips. Grandma was the inspiration for this lemon bundt cake, and we owe her many a tradition, culinary or not. It’s been hard having to socially distance from her, but eating this dip and thinking of her brought her a little closer.

2020 might be gone, but the problems we encountered then have not vanished. We still need to socially distance, take care of our planet, and work to build a more equal society. So, as we enter into this new year, I suggest doing so with some beans in the belly.

Southwestern Layered Bean Dip

Layer in this order (we use an 18-inch round platter, and smooth smooth each layer with a spatula):

• 1 15-ounce can Refried beans (Taco Bell Brand)

• 1 16-ounce Pace Picante Sauce

• 1 Avocado, cut into ¼” chunks

• Tomato or red pepper, cut into 1/4-inch chunks

• 5 -ounce can diced, mild green chilis

• 1 1/2 cups sour cream

• 1/2 package of McCormick  or 2 tablespoons Penzeys taco seasoning

• small can chopped olives

• 2 to 3 green onions, sliced

• 3/4 cup grated cheese

• Also be good with lime juice squeezed over the top, optional

• 1 to 2 packages of your favorite tortilla chips (we love Juanitas brand), for serving.

This dip is one of the only ways Lucia likes beans.

20-Minute Roasted Potatoes

Here at the Away Cafe, everybody loves roasted potatoes. Mom, dad, Sephe, Lucia, me (Amelia), everybody. Yet, up until recently, we hardly made them. I have memories of potatoes roasting slowly in the oven, the cook anxiously resetting the timer over and over as the potatoes continued to take more time to fully cook through. They usually required a minimum of 45 minutes and often took an hour or more to roast. It was hard to get the timing right, and too much effort for one side dish.

Enter, my solution: cut them super thin! These are like a cross between a potato chip and roasted potatoes, and man, are they delicious. They roast for only 10 minutes and broil for about 2, making them the perfect side dish: quick, easy, and appealing to all kinds of eaters. Next time you’re craving some fast food fries from the pre-pandemic ages, give these a shot.

Quick Roasted Potatoes

Fills one sheet pan with potatoes slices; doesn’t make very much and could easily be doubled

• 2 medium/large potatoes, any variety (I usually use russet)

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and slice the potatoes thinly and dump them onto a large sheet pan. Drizzle about one tablespoon olive oil and and 1/2 teaspoon or two huge pinches salt (don’t be shy with the salt here) on top, along with plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Mix it all together with your hands and spread the potatoes in an even layer over the sheet pan. Wash your hands and put the sheet pan in the oven. Roast for five minutes, flip the potatoes, and then roast for another five. Preheat your broiler while they are finishing roasting. When the five minutes is up, flip them again and broil for 1-3 minutes. The time this takes will vary wildly depending on the strength of your broiler and your desired level of crisp, so watch closely.

Once they look toasty and brown, take them out and serve with ketchup, if desired.

You could definitely go crispier if you wanted to; just watch closely!