The Sloppy Joe, Grown Up
The classic sloppy joe suffers from too much sugar and not enough meat. This version corrects both: lean ground elk carries the dish, the sweetness is dialled back to a single tablespoon of molasses, and a slug of cider vinegar keeps everything sharp. Served over crisp roasted potato wedges rather than a soft bun, it stops being a sandwich and becomes a proper lunch.
Ingredients
Serves 4 | Cost: $8.00 per serving | Total: $32.00 | Ready in 25 min
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) ground elk
- 800 g (1¾ lb) potatoes, cut into wedges
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 200 g (7 oz) tinned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Roast the wedges. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Toss the potato wedges with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt and pepper, spread cut side down on a tray, and roast for 30 minutes, turning once, until deeply golden.
- Brown the elk. Heat the remaining oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground elk with the smoked paprika and mustard powder and cook for 5 minutes, breaking it up, until browned all over.
- Build the sauce. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute until it darkens. Add the crushed tomatoes, molasses and cider vinegar along with 120 ml of water, and stir to combine.
- Braise until thick. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce clings to the meat and no longer pools in the pan. Season decisively with salt and black pepper.
- Assemble the bowls. Divide the roasted potato wedges between four bowls and spoon the elk mixture generously over the top. Serve with extra cider vinegar at the table for those who want more bite.
Nutritional & Dietary Notes
Dairy-Free
There is no milk, cream, butter or cheese in this recipe. Richness comes from the meat, the cooking fat and the aromatics rather than from dairy, which makes it a comfortable choice for anyone who is lactose intolerant or avoiding dairy altogether.
High Protein
Built around a generous serving of premium BC-sourced protein, this dish is designed to support muscle repair, satiety and steady energy through the day. It works particularly well as a post-training meal or as the anchor of a high-protein meal prep rotation.
Featured HOTRO.ca Product
This recipe is built around Ground Elk from HOTRO.ca. We source premium BC-raised and ethically farmed meats and slow-simmered bone broth, so the quality of the core ingredient does most of the work for you. Substituting a lesser product will change the result more than any other single change you could make to this recipe.
Tangy tomato-braised ground elk served over roasted potato wedges instead of a bun.