I know I get grumpy about sub-par produce much of the year here in the Midwest. I mean, we’re not exactly in an ideal location for having the freshest and best tasting produce year-round. However, we take for granted the fact that we can get so much most of the time.
A coconut in Michigan – no problem.
Decent pineapple in November – you got it.
A decent pear – sure.
Figs in December…maybe not.
Point being, I can find just about anything. Any time. It may not be the best, but hey…it’s better than nothing.
But Hatch chiles? These were just a figment of my imagination until recently when my very diverse Meijer store happened to have some Hatch beauties just hanging out on the shelves. It was like I had found one of the very few foods I’ve never been able to find and if you saw me that day, I was ever so slightly jumping up and down with the biggest smile on my face. The rest of my grocery shopping trip was consumed with, “Now what do I make with these long sought-after chiles?”
Nearly a week passed and the chiles had simply moved from the store to my fridge and every time I opened the produce bin, I seemed to get less and less inspired. It got me thinking, who’s more underwhelming here, me or these Hatch chiles?
The (very obvious) answer was me.
As soon as I paused to thumb through my 3-foot tall stack of recipes torn from various food magazines, this recipe jumped out at me. I swapped out the very ordinary poblano for these Hatch chiles and I must say, the mild spice was perfect (and hence the reason there’s more than 2x the number of chiles in my adapted version).
I thought I would catch a lot of heat (no pun intended) for serving potatoes in a taco, but the chorizo deterred such mention. After having potatoes in a taco recently at a tapas restaurant and now in this recipe, I am totally sold. The humble spud so belongs inside a tortilla for a little healthy and high fiber carb-on-carb action. Just sayin’…
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Potato, Hatch Chile, and Chorizo Tacos
Prep time:
5 mins
Cook time:
30 mins
Total time:
35 mins
Serves: 7
This unique taco speaks to the spicy food lovers out there. The original recipe called for poblano peppers, but I swapped in the in-season Hatch chiles and mmm mmmm MMMM!
Ingredients
5 Hatch chiles
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups potato, diced
½ onion, chopped
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
5 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz raw Mexican chorizo, casings removed
14 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 oz Manchego cheese, shredded
1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
Preheat broiler to high or
Place peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 5-6 minutes per side, flipping once, or until blackened on all sides. Alternately, char chiles over the flames of a gas range, carefully turning with heatproof tongs until charred on all sides. Place charred chiles in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 5 minutes. Peel; seed, coarsely chop.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add potato; cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until potatoes are browned. Remove potato; place in a large bowl.
Add onion to skillet and sprinkle with salt; cook 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Add chopped chiles, corn, cayenne, and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add onion mixture to potato.
Add chorizo to skillet; cook 4-5 minutes, breaking up the pieces using a wooden spoon or spatula. Return potato mixture to pan and stir to combine; heat through.
Working with 1 tortilla at a time, heat tortillas over medium-high heat directly on the eye of a burner for about 15 seconds on each side or until lightly charred. Arrange about ⅓ cup potato mixture in center of each tortilla; top with green onions and a pinch of cheese. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 2 tacos Calories: 376 Fat: 13.0 Carbohydrates: 50.4 Sugar: 4.4 Sodium: 427 Fiber: 7.9 Protein: 14.6 Cholesterol: 23.0
3.2.2124
TGIF! I’m off to do 3 minute planks, burpees, and some other forms of torture at my 6am sculpt class
P.S. It’s Friday the 13th. Glad I’m not too superstitious.
Be well,
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