Prepare the ingredients: chop the onion and add one-third of it to a blender. Wash, peel, and cut the potatoes into sticks, then soak them in water to remove excess starch. Wash and trim the ends off the tomatoes, then add them to the blender with a little salt and garlic.

In a deep skillet, add a splash of oil and heat it up. Add the remaining onion and 1 tablespoon of garlic, and cook until softened.

Add the ground beef, sea salt, and a pinch of chicken bouillon powder. Cook the beef until browned.

Once the beef has some color, add the drained potatoes.

Stir everything together. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.

Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt, and 1 arbol chile (or chipotle) until smooth.

Pour the sauce over the beef. When it starts to boil, add the rest of the chicken bouillon powder and the bay leaves.

When the potatoes are cooked through, add the mixed vegetables. I use a mix of carrots, peas, and yellow corn kernels—it's handy to always have a bag of this frozen mix, as I also use it for rice. Add a couple more arbol chiles and let it come back to a boil.

That's it! Serve with tortillas, tostadas with sour cream, or bolillo rolls!