Lock-n-Load Coffee-Rubbed Filet with Guajillo-Garlic Butter, Chile Mashed Potatoes, and Coffee Beans and Cream

I can't lie: I'm not much of a coffee drinker. It's not for lack of interest. I love coffee. It's more that I don't have time for coffee. I could brew it in the morning to help me wake up, sure, but that would eat into valuable sleeping time. Paradox. And unfortunately, when you don't drink much caffeine, it affects you in a way that begins with a pleasant buzz and ends at 4 a.m. with tossing and turning in sweaty sheets, tears, and hushed whimpers of, "I just want to sleep!" Obviously, when we got a chance to try Lock-n-Load's coffee offerings, one of my choices was decaf.

And when you're cooking with coffee after dark, you might want to use decaf so you can sleep that night. These recipes make use of dried chiles for a little bit of Latin-inspired flavor, which is a perfect foil for the coffee. I love this combination of beef and coffee, which is perfect with a little sweetness from brown sugar. And on the side? Once you try simmering black beans in Lock-n-Load coffee, you'll never go back to plain beans cooked in water.

Lock-n-Load Coffee-Rubbed Filet with Guajillo-Garlic Butter, Coffee Beans and Cream, Chile Mashed Potatoes (just for fun)
by Julie Kozarsky

Locked and Loaded Coffee Rubbed Filet with Garlic-Guajillo Butter:

1 part cumin
1 part salt
1/2 part black pepper
1 part Lock-n-Load Sniper's Choice decaf coffee, freshly ground
1 healthy pinch cinnamon
1/2 part brown sugar
Enough thick-cut tenderloin steaks to feed your crew
A couple of tablespoons of canola oil

For guajillo-garlic butter:

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 cloves garlic, grated on Microplane or finely minced
1 guajillo chile, seeds and stem removed, then toasted and ground

In a baggie or a small bowl, mix together the cumin, salt, pepper, ground coffee, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Generously coat the steaks with the coffee-spice rub. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. While it's heating, stir together the butter, garlic, and chile powder; set aside. When the skillet is very hot, cook the steaks. Immediately before cooking, rub canola oil over the outside of the steaks. Slap them down onto the cast iron, flipping frequently, until the outsides are seared but the interior is cooked to your liking. (I'd recommend rare). Serve with guajillo-garlic butter, Guajillo Mashed Potatoes and Locked and Loaded Coffee Beans and Cream.

Guajillo Mashed Potatoes:

4 medium to large Russet potatoes

1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1 guajillo chile
salt and pepper to taste

Bake the potatoes until tender. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat and toast the chile, turning frequently, until puffy. Remove the seeds and stem. Grind the chile and set the flakes aside.

When the potatoes are done, let them cool until you can handle them. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and pass it through a ricer. Stir in the butter, milk, chile powder, and salt and pepper to taste.

Locked and Loaded Coffee Beans and Cream:

2-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon chile powder (I recommend a freshly-ground Marx Foods Dried Puya chile)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces dried black beans, soaked overnight
2 cups coffee (I used Lock-n-Load Sniper's Choice decaf coffee)
4 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
2 cups chopped tomato
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed lime juice
big pinch of cumin

In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the chile powder and cumin. Saute until fragrant, then add the onion. Stirring occasionally, let the onion sweat for about ten minutes. Then add the minced garlic. Let it cook, stirring frequently, for a couple of minutes. Then add the beans, coffee, cloves, bay leaf, and if the beans aren't completely submerged, enough water to cover.

Meanwhile, put together the cream. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, lime juice, and cumin.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer. When the beans are almost tender, add the tomato. Let simmer for another 10-15 minutes until the flavors have melded and the beans are tender. Add salt to taste. Serve dolloped with the cream and sliced avocado to garnish.