Sweet Potato Chilaquiles with Griddled Salsa Roja
The best American name for this vegetable would probably be “Mexican green tomato”, but they actually taste nothing like regular tomatoes, In fact, the tomatillo is not a tomato at all. The tomatillo has a tart, lemony flavor that is enhance when cooked (especially roasted) and is an excellent base for salsas. While salsa (salsa verde) is the most popular way to enjoy tomatillo, they can be used in other ways. Tomatillos contain high amounts of vitamin A&C. Tomatillos are our #2 sales item!
Ingredients:
2 small onions
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1-1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
vegetable oil for frying
12 corn tortillas
1-1/2 cups vegetable stock
8 tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
salt to taste
1 Tbsp. vegetable shortening or oil
1 sweet potato (about 12oz.) peeled and finely diced
1/2 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
2 poblano chiles roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
1 cup Griddled Tomato-Chipotle Salsa (see recipe under Jalapeno Recipes)
Instructions:
Slice one onion into very thin strips. Combine with the vinegar in a bowl and set aside. Chop the other onion coarsely and set it aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk the sour cream and milk together.
In a large skillet, pour in enough of the vegetable oil to come to 1/4″ up the sides. Heat the oil over medium heat until lightly smoking. Fry the tortillas, 1 or 2 at a time, until they are crisp, about 1 minute. Drain the tortillas on paper towels.
Place the stock in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the tomatillos and cook until they become tender, about 6 minutes, drain, reserving the stock.
Place the tomatillos, jalapenos, chopped onion, garlic and cilantro in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable shortening until it is lightly smoking. Pour in the tomatillo mixture and stir constantly for about 5 minutes, until the sauce is thick and dark. Add the reserved stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F. Add the sweet potato to a saucepan of boiling salted water and blanch for 3 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain them and refresh in some ice water to stop the cooking process.
Line an 8″ square baking pan with 3 tortillas, overlapping slightly. Pour 1/4 of the tomatillo sauce on top and pour 1/4 of the sour cream-milk mixture on top of the sauce. Top with 1/4 of the cheese and place a third of the poblanos and sweet potatoes over the cheese. Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas, sauce, sour cream mixture and cheese. The top layer will not have poblanos or sweet potato. Cover THE baking pan with foil AND bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove and top with the drained marinated onions. Serve with the salsa.
Makes 8-10 servings.