Perfect for Halloween, these skewers are scary delicious. The spicy, bright red sauce is served with “stake piercing” meat and potatoes to add an eerie quality to your Halloween Dinner or Party. Easy to make, the steak is tossed in spices, skewered with baby potatoes, and then seared in a sauté pan. Our Pipián Rojo sauce is made in a blender or food processor with ingredients such as garlic, roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), peanut butter, vinegar and dried ancho chiles. If you can’t find the Paddle style Bamboo Skewers, they can be purchased through Amazon.

INGREDIENTS
½ cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
10 small potatoes
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/2 teaspoon, plus more for the sauté pan
1″ thick, 1.5 pounds of Sirloin Steak, cut into 20 large cubes
1 large or two small dried ancho chile(s), stemmed and seeded
Boiling water
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
10 Paddle style 7″ skewers

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pepitas on a sheet tray and toast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Add the potatoes to a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and then cook for 10-12 minutes or until a paring knife inserts easily into the potatoes. Drain and let dry on a towel, then place them in a bowl and add in 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix well and set aside.

Mix together in a large bowl ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, cumin, and smoked paprika. Cut the sirloin into large cubes and add to the bowl; toss in the spice mixture. Set aside for 30 minutes.

To make the sauce, remove the seeds and stem from the dried Ancho chile(s) and tear into large pieces. Place the ancho chile(s) in a bowl, and pour over 1 cup of boiling water to cover; let stand until softened for about 20 minutes. Drain the chile(s), discarding the water and any extra seeds. In a food processor or high-speed blender, add the chile(s), garlic, toasted pepitas, peanut butter, vinegar and 1/2 cup of hot water; pulse to a coarse paste. With the machine running, slowly add the ¾ cup of oil in a steady stream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Scrape the sauce into a bowl; cover with foil to keep warm. (If the sauce separates stir back together before serving.)

Thread 2 beef cubes on a skewer with one potato in the center. Preheat a sauté pan, over medium high heat. When hot, coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil. Sauté the skewers over high heat for about 3 minutes, turning and sauté 3 minutes more or until the steak is medium. Serve with the Pipián Rojo sauce under the skewers or on the side.
Makes 10 skewers