Recipe: Rajas con Papas (poblanos in cream with potatoes)

dice and cook the potatoes

This dish is a bit of a fusion, but was a huge hit at my family reunion over the Canada Day weekend.  Carla, Diane and I were throwing a Mexican dinner and so had the task of selecting a few feature dishes from the huge repertoire of wonderful Mexican cuisine.  One of Carla's favorite dishes is chorizo con papas - kind of like a corned beef hash using chorizo instead.  One of my favorite dishes is rajas - poblanos cooked up in a cream sauce (seems a bit simple, but it gets me every time).  Since most Mexican dishes do have some meat involved, we were a bit stuck in our selection of vegetarian options - why not take the chorizo out of the potato equation, stretch the sauce of the rajas and use it to dress the potatoes like a warm potato salad?  Well, it turned out a stunner.  Vegetarian or not, everyone hit it hard.  The poblanos gave it a nice little zip, but it was mild enough that everyone could enjoy it - even Isabella at 11 months couldn't get enough!  If you want to just make rajas, simply use enough cream to make it saucy and serve.

peel and cut the poblanos

You will need:


6                           medium to large potatoes
3                           poblanos
1                           large onion
3 cloves                garlic
200ml / 6.8fl oz    cream
100ml / 3.4floz     sour cream
as needed             olive oil
as needed             kosher salt
as needed             black pepper

caramelize the onions

as needed             roasted corn



Method:


 - put a pot of water on to simmer
 - peel and dice the potatoes
 - simmer the potatoes in the water until almost cooked
 - strain the potatoes out of the water and let air-dry, cool, and set aside
 - roast corn on the grill, or pan-roast kernel corn in a pan and set aside
 - burn the poblanos, sweat, then peel (or use microwave - peeling peppers - microwave method)
 - cut the poblanos into thick strips and set aside - save any juice they have released
 - julienne the onion and saute in oil

add the cream and poblanos

 - when the onion is golden brown, mince the garlic and add it in
 - take the onions and garlic to a rich brown
 - deglaze the onions with the poblano juice, then add the cream
 - bring the cream to a simmer, then add the poblanos
 - simmer some more
 - add the sour cream, and season with salt and pepper
 - add in the potatoes and toss well in the sauce
 - check the seasoning and adjust if necessary
 - toss in the roasted corn and serve

add the potatoes and corn