Sometimes you just have to shake things up a bit. And the other evening I wanted to use some of the potatoes we received in our last farm box. We had recently enjoyed a baked potato, but Mr. C. is not the potato lover that I am. So I really needed to come up with a way to use the potatoes that would appeal to him. And what better way than to use a couple of his favorite flavors to entice him over to my side. The right side! (I mean really. What’s not to like about potatoes?!?!) So….. Mr. C. loves cheese. And Mr. C. loves Mexican food, especially if the dish includes chilies. So why not combine potatoes with some cheese and a smattering of both canned green chilies (not hot) and a jalapeño (pretty darn hot). So I found the basis for this recipe on the boulderlocavore.com site. I changed the recipe to accommodate what I had on hand, and also to better reflect our tastes, but the bones of the recipe come directly from this new to me site.

So, armed with a new concept for flavoring au gratin potatoes, I prepared the recipe you find below. And no, the jalapeño was not overpowering or created too spicy a dish. It just added a lovely and unexpected flavor that even Mr. C. admitted was pretty darn tasty. (He had seconds that evening and chose to have the potatoes for lunch the next day.)

So if you too want to shake things up a bit in your kitchen, give this recipe a try. It is really lovely and really quite different than most au gratin potatoes. Although I have seldom met a homemade potato concoction that I didn’t like, this new au gratin dish is now right up there with my all-time favorites. Hope you like it too.

As always, stay safe, stay aware of what’s going on in the world, but please continue to represent love rather than hate. Not easy right now. But needed more than ever.

1½ lbs. thinly sliced Yukon gold potatoes (no need to peel the potatoes)

¾ c. whole milk

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded, veins removed, and very finally minced     

generous ½ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

generous 1 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese

½ c. finely diced onion   

3 T. unsalted butter   

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

paprika

Layer 1:

Line the bottom of a buttered 9×13-inch pan or casserole with a third of the potatoes. Drizzle with ¼ cup of the milk. Top with 1/3 of the chiles, 1/3 of the minced jalapeño, 1/3 of each cheese, half of the onion, 1 tablespoon of the butter evenly doted over the onion like you would when preparing a fruit pie, and a light sprinkling of salt and a larger sprinkle of black pepper.

Layer 2:

Repeat layer 1.

Layer 3:

Repeat layer 1, except no onion in the final layer. Sprinkle with paprika and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 70-85 minutes or until the potatoes slices are tender and the top is a lovely golden brown. (If the top gets too brown before the potatoes are tender, cover the pan with aluminum foil.)

Remove from oven and allow the au gratin to sit for 10 minutes before serving.