I noticed this recipe some years back in a cookbook entitled "La Cocina Familiar en el estado de Baja California Sur", one of the cookbooks that The National Council for Culture and Arts (Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, or Conaculta), has published for each of the Mexican states. I had looked at it many times but never tried it-- until now. I mean, it's a recipe for "green potatoes", and it's written in Spanish...But there I was with some potatoes that needed to be used, and all the other ingredients on hand, so I thought "Why not? Now is as good a time as any."
As it turns out, this dish is a form of au gratin potatoes with green chiles. I LOVE au gratin potatoes, and I am now a big fan of green potatoes. You will be, too! Here's the recipe, straight from the book:
PAPAS VERDES
Ingredients:
- 1 kilo papas cocidas (2 pounds potatoes, cooked until almost done)
- 5 chiles poblanos asados (5 roasted poblano chiles)
- 1/4 litro de crema (I used about 1 Cup half-and-half)
- 1 cebolla rebanada (1 sliced onion)
- 8 rebanadas de queso amarillo (8 slices yellow cheese)
- 1 cucharada de consomé en polvo (1 Cup chicken broth or consommé)
- margarina, sal y pimienta (margarine, salt and pepper)
Rebanar las papas: licuar los chiles, la crema y el consomé.
Colocar en un recipiente refractario capas sucesivas de papas, sal, pimienta, trocitos de margarina, rebanadas de cebolla, queso y los chiles licuados.
Hornear durante veinte minutos y servir.
Rinde 8 raciones.
In English, my way: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice the cooked potatoes. Place the chiles, cream and consommé in a blender and puree it. Set aside.
Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with about 1 tablespoon of softened butter or margarine. In successive layers, place potatoes, salt & pepper, small pats of butter or margarine, thin onion slices, cheese slices and the chile puree, finishing with the chile puree mixture. (Instead of cheese slices, I used a mixture of grated cheddar and jack cheese that came in a bag, and I really piled it on!) Dot with more butter and bake for about 1/2 hour, or until the top is brown and bubbling.
Remove from oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Serves 8.
Note that I used about a tsp. of salt; you might want more, as the potatoes really soak it up!
Buen provecho!
If you have a favorite recipe for a Mexican or Mexican-inspired dish, I'd love to add it to our recipe box! email lahuerita2@gmail.com (and put "recipe" in the subject box so I'll know what it's about)
