Stuffed Poblanos with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Potatoes
I’m so excited to share this recipe with you. This reminds me of one of my favorite dishes at this little Spanish restaurant I used to go to in Riverdale NY called Cocina Chente. They made an amazing stuffed poblano dish, that I tried to recreate since I am now living in Kansas, and it’s a pandemic so I can’t go back. Anyway, the almonds are the secret ingredient in the red pepper sauce, so don’t skip them!
Servings: 4
Recipe by: Tierney Larson
Ingredients:
4 poblano peppers
2 16oz Jars of Roasted Red Peppers packed in water, drained
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 shallot, peeled
Kosher Salt
A pinch of sugar
1/4 cup of slivered and blanched almonds
2 tbl of canola oil
1 lb ground beef
8 oz shredded Oaxaca cheese (or if you can’t find Oaxaca, mozzarella)
2 oz goat cheese
5-6 yellow or Yukon gold potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch thick circles
Ok so..Preheat your oven to 350F. Place a large pot of water over high heat and season it generously with salt. When it comes to a boil, add the poblanos and let them cook for 8-10 minutes, or until just starting to get tender. Take them out with a slotted spoon and run them under cold water, or place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Pat them dry, and then cut off the stems and shake out the seeds, set aside.
Add the roasted red peppers, shallot, garlic and a pinch of salt into a blender or food processor and blend for 1 minute until really smooth, then add the almonds and blend again for another minute until smooth. Taste and add a pinch more salt if necessary.
Next, heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add 2 tbl of canola oil and let heat until shimmering. Then add the ground beef and start breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Let it brown on the first side for about 2 minutes, and then stir to brown the other side. Season with kosher salt and when you no longer see pink pieces of meat, drain any fat that has accumulated and add the meat back to the pan. Taste and add anymore salt if necessary and then return to the stovetop with the heat off.
Add 1/2 cup of the red pepper pureé to the meat and then stir in the oaxaco (or mozz) and goat cheese, it’s ok if it gets melty. And set aside.
In a small bowl, toss the sliced potatoes with a good pinch of kosher salt. Then, in a medium sized casserole dish, around 10x6 1/2 inches, add the sliced potatoes to the bottom of the casserole, lining them up in one layer (if possible). Then stuff the peppers with the meat and cheese mixture and place them on top of the potatoes. Then pour the remaining red pepper sauce on top of everything.
Cover the dish tightly with tin foil and bake for about 45 minutes, or until it’s bubbly and the potatoes are fork tender.
Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and more oaxaco cheese to serve. Enjoy!
