Green chile scalloped potatoes. Photo by Liddie Martinez

By LIDDIE MARTINEZ
Española Valley

I have been making scalloped potatoes for many years, a dish I learned to make with my mother, but I did not think about adding green chile to the dish until years ago when I found myself with freshly roasted green chile left over from a batch prepped for chile rellenos.

I chopped the chile and thought I would add it as a topping to the baked potato bar as we were grilling steaks the following day.

Instead, I opted to make scalloped potatoes because I could make them ahead to serve later and that was when the recipe adaptation magic occurred.

Since then, I have seen the dish as a special side offered at a few higher end restaurants around New Mexico and they all have their own flair.

Some chefs will use sour cream instead of making the béchamel, but the sauce is perfect with the green chile and, it is so delicious and filling, it can stand alone as a meatless dish for lunch.

When my mom made this dish, she hand cut the potatoes. It can be done with a very steady hand trained on precision but, the work is done more quickly with a mandolin at the lowest setting or about ⅛ of an inch.

When you have uniform slices, they will bake perfectly. Also, I use a small amount of parmesan in the sauce and add the grated jack cheese to the dish as I am layering.

You do not want to melt the jack cheese into the sauce, it gets clumpy and is difficult to spread. Make sure you have the right spiciness of green chile selected before you chop.

I use mild for this dish because it is made as a casserole, and you will not be able to adjust the heat level for small children or adults who can no longer eat hot or spicy foods.

Mild will give you the perfect flavoring and allow for the greatest number of guests to enjoy.

On the other hand, if you want to go for the gusto, this dish can stand up to hot chile and hold its own.

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
• 3 Tbsps. butter, more for prepping the casserole dish
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated
• ¾ cup milk
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 cup mild green chile, chopped
• 1 cup jack cheese, grated

Butter the casserole dish and set aside. Peel and slice potatoes and rinse well.

Drain potato slices and arrange in single layers on a paper towel lined baking dish. Add layers until all potatoes are drying on paper towels.

Pre heat oven to 350°.

In a sauce pan over medium low heat, melt butter and sauté the onions until they are transparent, season with salt and pepper and add the garlic and flour to the pan.

Cook for 1-2 minutes then add the milk and cream stirring gently until milk is hot then add the parmesan cheese, stir to combine and remove from heat.

In the buttered dish start placing potatoes covering the bottom with a couple of layers then top with a third of the sauce.

Add a third of the chile spreading it evenly and then top with a third of the jack cheese.

Create a second and then a third layer.

Bake at 350° for 50 minutes to 1 hour until golden brown and bubbly. Allow casserole to set for 10 minutes before serving.

Editor’s note: Liddie Martinez is the author of the popular award winning Chile Line Cookbook: Historic Recipes of Northern New Mexico, which is available online at https://thechileline505.square.site/

Video showing how to prepare green chile scalloped potatoes. Video by Liddie Martinez