people who don’t know what i’m talking about will likely think i’m crazy.
those of you who have been to burrito drive in madison, wisconsin will likely (hopefully) cheer. this is my attempt at recreating the she-meh-neh burrito, what i can only assume is the most popular item on their menu judging by the amount of times jason and i order it. why is this burrito so special? well it lacks most of the ingredients you have come to expect in a burrito…like tomatoes, and beans, and avocados. instead, it’s packed pull of sweet potato puree, bacon, and pickled red onions (as well as chicken, rice, and queso fresco). you’re probably thinking what i initially thought…strange. but think it through, read the recipe, and then try it. i think you’ll be quite surprised and inspired.
while i have to admit the seasoning on this does not match the original exactly, it’s still very good. i’ll keep working on it. if you’re interested in doing a side by side taste test, let me know. perhaps you can help me figure out what to tweak.
in the meantime though, enjoy my version.
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 4 chicken thighs (I prefer with skin, but it's not critical)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 - 1½ cup light beer
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ tablespoon butter
- pinch cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cup white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 4 garlic cloves, whole
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- *note this makes more pickled onion than is needed for the burritos, but it keeps for a couple weeks in the fridge in a jar.
- ½ tablespoon butter
- ½ cup white rice (I used basmati)
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- juice from ¼ of a lime
- 4 slices thick cut bacon
- 1 cup queso fresco grated
- 4 tortillas
- The key to this dish is timing. Ideally, you should make the pickled onions a day ahead of time so they can soak in the fridge overnight. I debated writing out the process for each component separately, but decided against it. I'll walk you through what I think is the best order to do things in, so please, feel free to comment if you try it a different way that works better!
- Start with the chicken: mix together salt, chili powder, and cumin. Rub chicken with spices. Heat olive oil in a medium sized dutch oven. Add chicken, and cook until well browned on both sides. Remove chicken, add garlic and ¼ cup of beer. Scrape down the brown bits off the bottom and return chicken to dish. Add in remaining beer so that the chicken is ⅔ of the way submerged. Cover, and simmer on low for 25-30 minutes.
- Take a minute to preheat the oven to 400. Place the sweet potato on a baking dish, drizzle with oil, and bake for 45 minutes, or until potato is tender.
- To make the pickled red onions: combine vinegar, salt, maple syrup, bay leaf, and garlic cloves in a small pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Add in red onion and mix well. Remove from heat after 2-3 minutes, put into jar or other container and move to refrigerator. As I mentioned, this can be done days ahead of time.
- Next is the rice: melt butter in small pot. Add in rice, stirring to coat. Add in coconut milk and water and cook until rice is tender, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in cilantro and lime juice.
- Next is the bacon, that's the easy part. Fry up bacon in a pan until cooked but not crispy. Remove from heat and cut into small strips.
- At this point, the chicken should be about done as well. Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool for 10 minutes. Using two forks, shred chicken.
- When sweet potato has cooked, remove from oven. Cut into small chucks and place in food processor with melted butter. Start the food processor, and add heavy cream a little at a time. Puree until you have a nice smooth consistency. add cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Adjust cream if necessary.
- Finally, all the components are done. Now for the assembly. Heat the tortillas in a large pan until warm. Layer the ingredients in the middle portion of the tortilla, using about ¼ of each per tortilla, in the following order: sweet potato puree, rice, onions, chicken, bacon, and queso fresco.
- Tuck the ends of the tortilla in and roll it shut. Cut in half. Serve with a side of salsa (I prefer spicy). Enjoy the amazingness! And please, admit I'm not crazy!
I forgot about this burrito!! One my favorite late night eats. Thanks for the recipe!
writes Claire[…] fridge and we decide to order out, jason always chooses chinese food. personally, i just want the she-meh-neh burrito from burrito […]
writes chinese hot and sour soup | Things I Made TodayI got this burrito a while back and have been dreaming of it ever since. I’m looking forward to trying your version!
writes Meghan M.I took a few shortcuts when I made this tonight, but it turned out so good!
writes Meghan M.[…] her recipe and called it “the world’s strangest and most delicious burrito” on her blog, Things I Made Today. “Try it,” she wrote. “I think you’ll be quite surprised and […]
writes Burrito Drive, an east side Madison staple, to close March 26 | Food & Drink – Healthy Breakfast