Ok so I am laughing because of course the spicing is important, but the important thing to understand here is that there is no
correct spicing: it can go in many different ways. That's part of the beauty of these sorts of dishes, you can perturb them and not get burnt out so easily. Oh lemme tell you about regional Indian, but I can't because I am a child there.
So... I sometimes send this dish off in a French Provençal direction, or sometimes toward Mexican Sonoran, or even Oaxacan. But you don't need to do that, all you need is some umami, and some basics. We have eaten it many times over the decades with Worcestershire Sauce as the umami (basically anchovies in soy) and the basics are a good grind of black pepper and potentially something sweet, if the tomatoes suck, as they often do. Don't get too fancy: you want to eat this after a frustrating day at work, freezer->microwave->plate. We add whatever chili concoctions we feel like as we like a bit of burn. But you don't need to do that!
So: take ground beef, cook if raw, use the fat to saute the vegetable matter, compose layers of beef first, then green matter, tomatoes, and then finally sliced potatoes covering the top. Add stock and spices to fill to just covering the potatoes, cook until as moist as you like. We like it saucy, but not a stew though. The more you make, the more nutritious and tasty comfort food you have for those days when... maybe I'll just order DoorDash.
Buen provecho!
So... I sometimes send this dish off in a French Provençal direction, or sometimes toward Mexican Sonoran, or even Oaxacan. But you don't need to do that, all you need is some umami, and some basics. We have eaten it many times over the decades with Worcestershire Sauce as the umami (basically anchovies in soy) and the basics are a good grind of black pepper and potentially something sweet, if the tomatoes suck, as they often do. Don't get too fancy: you want to eat this after a frustrating day at work, freezer->microwave->plate. We add whatever chili concoctions we feel like as we like a bit of burn. But you don't need to do that!
So: take ground beef, cook if raw, use the fat to saute the vegetable matter, compose layers of beef first, then green matter, tomatoes, and then finally sliced potatoes covering the top. Add stock and spices to fill to just covering the potatoes, cook until as moist as you like. We like it saucy, but not a stew though. The more you make, the more nutritious and tasty comfort food you have for those days when... maybe I'll just order DoorDash.
Buen provecho!