Today’s recipe comes from Mexican Made Easy by Marcela Valladolid. This is a show on the Food Network, but I have to admit, I’ve never seen it. This is another of the new cookbooks I received from John this Christmas. The recipes are very simple, and the ingredients are mostly ones I have on hand.
Tonight, I made Yukon Potato, Poblano, and Corn Gratin. It’s sort of a Mexican scalloped potatoes. I didn’t have the exact ingredients, so I substituted russets for yukon gold potatoes, mozzarella for Oaxaca cheese, and sour cream for Mexican crema. The author gives you these choices so you don’t have to search for the specialized ingredients. The most fun part was charring the poblano peppers on the gas stove, and then steaming them in a plastic bag. The skin came off really easily, and they had a slightly smoky flavor. I sliced the potatoes, then layered them in a deep dish pie plate. First layer, potatoes. Second layer, sauteed corn and poblano pepper strips. Third, a layer of mozzarella. I repeated that sequence and ended with a layer of potato slices. I mixed together the sour cream and half and half and poured that over the top. I salted and peppered every layer. I covered it tightly with foil, placed it on a cookie sheet, and baked at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then uncovered for another 40 minutes until brown and bubbly. We had it with a tasty meatloaf and fresh green beans. John declared this another keeper! Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!
Yukon potato, poblano, and corn gratin
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup fresh corn kernels(about 1 ear – I used frozen corn.)
3 large poblano peppers, charred, stemmed and seeded, and cut into strips
4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 cups coarsely grated Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9 1/2inch round deep dish glass pie plate with 2 tsps. oil.
Heat 1 tsp. oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the poblano strips and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Arrange 1/3 of potatoes in the dish. Sprinkle half of poblano mixture over and top with 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat, adding a second layer of everything. Top with a layer of potatoes. Stir together half and half and crema. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over top. Top with remaining cheese.
Cover tightly with foil, place on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until brown, bubbly and potatoes are soft (This took me a little longer-about 40 minutes more). Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
