Tacos – New Mexico Hatch Chile

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Previously published August 2017. Potato tacos are not new to Mexican cuisine but they are showing up in trendy taco stands and upscale restaurants. My recipe for this potato taco is derived from the preparation of traditional New Mexico green chile stew (quisado). I’ve transferred and presented the same guisado flavors in a taco form with this original meatless recipe from Cocina California. Tacos made with Hatch chile; of course.

To determine if this recipe is unique I searched Google for green chile taco recipes but none that I found on Google comes’ close to my idea. After serving these tacos for dinner, Dolores (50 year love of my life) implored; “prepare these every day of the week”. The flavors released from these ingredients are truly magical, savory and insatiable. Make lots because your guests will want second servings. Let’s get started.

Ingredients

Serves 4

Warning about how hot Hatch Chiles can be. See Notes section at the bottom of this blog.

1 ½ lbs red or white potatoes, peeled and diced about ¼ inch cubes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or a good olive oil

1 lb cherry tomatoes whole

1 ½ tablespoons of fresh thyme diced

1 ½ tablespoons of parsley diced

1 clove garlic, diced

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2-8 hatch chiles, or Anaheim, depending if you purchased mild, medium or hot. roasted peeled, deseeded, chopped

3 scallions, chopped

Salt and pepper

8-12 corn tortillas

Optional garnish – 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves.roughly chopped

Preparation

Roasting chile

Roasting under a broiler in the following manner:

•Cut the top from the pepper

•Slice the pepper in half, lengthwise

•Scrape out the seeds

•Lay peppers skin side up on a baking sheet

•Roast until skins blister and char

•Place roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with a plastic bag until cool then peel

•Set aside.

Potatoes

Wash and brush the potatoes in water, peel then cut each potato in ¼ inch cubes. Place diced potatoes in a saucepan and add enough water to cover and add 1 teaspoon salt. Cook potatoes for 4 minutes in boiling water, drain, cool and pat dry.

Using a large fry pan, heat the vegetable oil, add potatoes, lightly salt and pepper and fry at medium heat 10 – 12 minutes or until slightly golden. Mix in the chopped Hatch chile and scallions with the potatoes and sauté for 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and keep warm.

Tomatoes

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan large enough that when you add the tomatoes it will hold all of them in one layer. Add the garlic and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, thyme and parsley, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 7 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to loose their firm round shape. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and keep warm

Plating Tacos

Warm tortillas on a comal or pancake griddle; set each tortilla flat on a plate and place about ⅓ cup of potato preparation. Top potato with cherry tomatoes, and sprinkle cilantro leaves.. Fold and serve warm.

Notes:

Hatch chile are cultivated to be mild, medium, hot, xx hot and even xxx hot. If not labeled, ask your grocer how hot their chiles are. Test them after roasting and and use less quantity of chiles if they seem too hot. Start adding in batches and taste test as you go. Off season you may find canned hatch or substitute fresh anahiem chiles,

Buen Provecho

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