Tex-Mex Mashed Potatoes
Here's another copycat recipe from Abuelo's. They call it Papas con Chile. I call it delicious!
Here's another copycat recipe from Abuelo's. They call it Papas con Chile. I call it delicious!
- salt and pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 t butter
- 1 c sour cream
- 3 lbs red potatoes cubed
- 2 jalapenos stems and seeds removed and chopped
- 2 fresno chiles stems and seeds removed and chopped
- 2 poblanos
- 1/4 c onion chopped
- 1/4 c cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/4 c pepper jack cheese shredded
- 1/4 c monterrey jack cheese shredded
- 1/4 c cotija cheese crumbled
- Carbohydrate 432.144680667673 g
- Cholesterol 1006.41050058039 mg
- Fat 304.038308109583 g
- Fiber 24.1272114959809 g
- Protein 199.072147506291 g
- Saturated Fat 187.440209312418 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (3819g)
- Sodium 3037.75020155617 mg
- Sugar 408.017469171692 g
- Trans Fat 17.9518034786091 g
- Calories 5175 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Put the poblanos on a sheet pan and roast, turning occasionally, until charred and blackened on all sides. Remove from the oven. When they are cool enough to handle, peel as much of the skins off as you can. Remove the stem and the seeds and chop. Set aside.
- Boil the potatoes until tender and drain. Return the potatoes to the same pot.
- While the potatoes are boiling, melt the butter in a large skillet. Cook the onion, jalapeno, and Fresno peppers until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
- Add the pepper mixture and the cheeses to the potatoes. Add in the sour cream and stir this all together until the cheeses have melted and then serve hot. (This isn't a soft mash. It should be chunky.)
Operating under strict pantry limitations requires choosing ingredients that maximize flavor extraction without demanding excessive preparation equipment. Roasting whole poblanos at 400 degrees directly triggers Maillard reactions in the skin while steaming the flesh inside, making the charred outer layer easy to peel once cooled. Poblano peppers supply earthy depth, while jalapeños and Fresno chiles introduce sharper capsaicin heat; swapping the Fresno chiles for serranos will drastically increase the Scoville rating, requiring a reduction in quantity by half to maintain balance. Boiling red potatoes rather than russets prevents a gluey starch release because red varieties possess lower starch content and firmer cell walls, which directly supports the required chunky texture rather than a smooth puree. Incorporating minced garlic for exactly 30 seconds in the skillet prevents the sulfur compounds from turning bitter while ensuring the raw bite disappears into the butter and onion fat. Sour cream replaces heavy cream here, introducing lactic acid that cuts through the rich blend of cheddar, pepper jack, Monterey Jack, and cotija cheeses. For make-ahead preparation, assemble the components up to the final mixing stage and store them covered in the refrigerator for up to twenty-four hours before reheating gently on the stovetop with a splash of milk to restore moisture.
