this wasn't in the plan |but life is still pretty good

Last night, The Tall One and I ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant that, instead of serving beans and rice with each dish, served beans and papitas - fried potatoes with melted cheese and sauce on top.  It was quite tasty so we decided to duplicate it for tonight's dinner.

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Beans and Papitas

1 can pinto beans
2-3 potatoes, diced
1 tomato, diced
cheddar cheese, grated
 salt

optional garnishes:
chili powder
chopped onion
chopped green chile

For the beans:
Warm can of beans in saucepan along with tomato.  Season with salt and chili powder, if desired.

For the papitas:
Fry potatoes using your desired method (either with a deep fat fryer or in the oven drizzled with a bit of oil).  Top potatoes with grated cheese (and any other toppings you'd like!) and put in the oven to melt.

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You could top off the whole thing with your favorite enchilada sauce (red or green), if you'd like.  We had it along with quesadillas, but really no side dish is necessary.