Baked Potato Enchiladas on Pico de Gallo Corn with Ancho Ranchero Sauce and Mexican Tortilla Salad
A vegetable dish with Dean Fearing’s distinctive Southwestern touch, the enchiladas are accompanied by corn and a salad which could be separate dishes in themselves. Baked potato is wrapped up in the enchiladas and served with a sauce heated with ancho peppers.
Ingredients
- Idaho potatoes - 2
- Corn tortillas - 8
- Canola oil - 1/4 cup
- Jalapeno jack cheese - 3 tablespoons
- Scallions - 1/2 bunch, green part only, chopped
- Cilantro - 1 tablespoon, chopped
- Lime Juice - Juice of 1 lime
- Sour Cream - 2 – 3 tablespoons
- Salt to taste
- Ancho Ranchero Sauce - (recipe follows)
- Pico de Gallo Corn - (recipe follows)
- Mexican Tortilla Salad - (recipe follows)
- Ancho Ranchero Sauce
- Garlic - 5 cloves
- Tomatoes - 2
- Canola oil - 1 tablespoon
- Ancho Peppers - 10
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Onion - 1-1/2 cups, chopped
- Carrot - 1/2 cup, chopped
- Jalapeno - 1, seeded and deribbed
- Corn - 1 ear
- Corn tortillas - 2, cut into 1/2-inch strips
- Cilantro - 1/2 bunch
- Vegetable Stock - 1-1/2 cups (alt. chicken stock)
- Limes - 3
- Salt - To taste
- Maple Syrup - To taste
- Pico de Gallo Corn
- Corn - 2 ears
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
- Tomatoes - 2, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
- Red Onion - 1 small, cut in 1/4-inch dice
- Jalapenos - 1-1/2, minced
- Lime Juice - Juice of 2 limes
- Salt - To taste
- Mexican Tortilla Salad
- Corn Oil - 5 cups
- Corn tortillas - 4, julienned
- Blue Corn Tortillas - 4, julienned (plain tortillas may be substituted)
- Ancho corn tortillas - 8, julienned (plain tortillas may be substituted)
- Black Beans - 1/2 cup cooked, drained
- Jicama - 1/2 cup, cut in 1/4-inch dice
- Red Bell Pepper - 1/2 cup, cut in 1/4-inch dice
- Yellow Bell Pepper - 1/2 cup, cut in 1/4-inch dice
- Corn Oil - 3 tablespoons
- Lime Juice - 1-1/2 tablespoons, fresh
- Cilantro - 1 tablespoon, finely chopped fresh
- Serrano Chilies - 2, seeded and finely chopped
- Salt - To taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a baking sheet. Prick the potatoes and bake until soft, about 50 minutes. Let cool, peel, and slice. Add the next 5 ingredients, mix thoroughly, and chill. Soften the corn tortillas: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat canola oil until it shimmers. Using tongs, place the tortillas, one at a time, in the oil and cook just until the tortillas bubble around the edge. Do not let them become crisp. Remove and pat off the excess oil.
Lay the tortillas flat on a work surface. Divide the fillings between the shells and roll up. Place on the prepared sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Pool Ancho Ranchero Sauce on each plate. Place 2 enchiladas on each plate, and garnish with Pico de Gallo Corn topped with Mexican Tortilla Salad.
Ancho Ranchero Sauce
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Brush a sheet pan with canola oil and place the garlic cloves on the pan. Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes; take the pan out of the oven, add the tomatoes, and return it to the oven for 20 more minutes. Remove and let cool. Squeeze the garlic puree out of the husks; pull the skin off the tomato.
Seed the ancho peppers. Soak them in enough hot water to cover until soft, then puree in a food processor or blender.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions until brown. Add the carrots and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Add jalapeno, garlic, tomatoes, corn, tortillas, and ancho puree. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove the ear of corn and cilantro and discard. Strain the sauce. Cover tightly and refrigerate; sauce may be made up to 3 days n advance. Add salt, lime juice, and maple syrup to taste before serving.
Pico de Gallo Corn
Cut the corn kernels off the cob, and discard the cob. Heat the oil in the skillet and add all ingredients. Cook until the corn is soft, 6 – 7 minutes. Season to taste.
Mexican Tortilla Salad
In a deep stockpot, heat 5 cups corn oil to 325 F. Add half the tortillas. Stirring constantly, fry for 25 seconds, or until crisp. Do not overcook. With a slotted spoon, remove them from the oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.
In a large bowl, combine the beans, jicama, bell peppers, 3 tablespoons corn oil, lime juice, cilantro, and chilies. Toss to mix; season to taste. Gently toss in the tortilla threads, being careful not to break them. Serve immediately.
