Saturday, August 21, 2010

Green Chile Cheese Potato Latkes

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Sweet Bellas, a different kind of inspiration is behind this post today - and although it may seem silly - there is a joy spilling over that has me shouting from the rooftops,
"Thank God Almighty, the green chile is HERE!"

*a chorus of hallelujahs rises in the air*

We have been on tip toe waiting for this belated beloved crop to make its appearance, and alas, we must wait no longer. The fix is in! Yes, we New Mexicans are very zealous about our chile, and this is most certainly a magical time of year - an intoxicating aroma fills the streets as we wait in lines for our green chile to be roasted to perfection. We welcome the burning sensation in our fingertips as we peel and chop and dice our little hearts out to package ever so neatly our newly acquired high grade stash. From Hatch to Chimayo, and everywhere in between, one can purchase by the pound, the bushel, or the sack.

As for me, I opt to buy not one, but two 30 lb sacks. Sound like a lot of chile? Well, not in my house. We have to dedicate an entire shelf, or two, in our separate stand up freezer in the garage to house this delicacy. Because you see, the crop only comes in once a year, and this has to last me alllll yearrrrr longgggg.

Without a doubt, I have fallen head over heels in love with New Mexican chile from the very first day it graced my lips, and have been completely obsessed with experimenting green chile fusion in just about every cuisine you can think of, thus inspiring my work in progress fusion cookbook.
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Now I confess I have made the mistake of buying just one measly 30 lb. sack before, only to find the stash ran dry mid summer and I was forced to borrow from family members who, with horrified looks on their faces at the mere thought of facing such a dilemma, graciously obliged. Ohhhh I suppose I could buy something from the freezer section of my local grocery store to hold me over, and I suppose I could manage, but TRUST ME, hear my conviction, IT IS NOT THE SAME!

So, what can one do if you don't live in the Soul of the Southwest?? How can one get their hands on authentic chile from Hatch, NM?? Fret no longer sweet bellas, you can visit one of these lovely sites, and you can get it packed and shipped directly to your front doorstep - a worthy venture indeed...
http://www.nmcchile.com or http://www.hatch-chile.com/ or http://www.nmchili.com/

And now, I leave you with a poem I penned with sentiments from the very bottom of my foodie heart , titled "An Ode To Green Chile"
**hehe**

- AND -

one of my fusion recipes, GREEN CHILE CHEESE POTATO LATKES.

Do read on.....

AN ODE TO GREEN CHILE

oh green chile i love you so
i wait all year for you to grow
and dream of all the things i'll do
while I purchase a 30 lb. sack or two

i'll slice you
and dice you
and stuff you with cheese
and put you on top of
everything that I please
in sauces
in stews
in meat
and in brews (hey, they do that here!)

i'll toss you in pasta
and bake you in bread
i'll eat you on pizza
and with breakfast in bed
on burgers
in sammies
and pastry puffs too
in dips
and in spreads
and in my fondue

oh green chile, how i love you so
so much more than you'll ever know
for without you
my enchiladas would be naked
my stuffed sopapillas would be bland
my beans 'n' papas would be lonely
and that is more torture than a New Mexican can stand

oh green chile, i do love you so
and wait all year for you to grow
i dream of all the things i'll do
YOU COMPLETE ME green chile - yes. you. do.
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You don't have to wait til Channukah to enjoy this delicious spin on an old classic. Latkes are a great substitute for traditional potato dishes for any meal any time of the year. I like to serve mine as a side dish to steak, chicken or fish - and - with a scrambled egg between two english muffins in the morning...sooooo gooooood.

Green Chile Cheese Potato Latkes

Ingredients:

2 Cups Peeled Shredded Potatoes (Idaho Baking Potatoes are best)
3 Tbsp Shredded Onion (white or yellow)
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Flour
2/3 Cup diced green chile (preferably Hatch NM Green Chile)
2/3 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 Cup Oil (Peanut Oil is best, otherwise Canola will work

Directions:

1. Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible. (If you don't own a cheesecloth, use a very thin dish towel)
2. In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.
3. Add the green chile and cheese and gently stir to combine.
4. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot.
Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties.
Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other.
Let drain on paper towels.
Serve immediately with a side of sour cream - mangia!

*To reheat, it is best NOT to microwave, rather, place the latkes in a skillet without oil over medium heat and warm up each side and serve, or, one can even warm up in the oven.

30 comments:

  1. These look delicious! But I can honestly say, I'm not sure what I would do with that many green chiles!

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  2. Fantastic recipe, post and poem...Just a wonderful read :)

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  3. The latkes look lovely...and the chiles look hot...I'm sure your recipe hits the spot!

    What a fun post. And your recipe really does look great! I'll look forward to trying it. I love the heat from the chiles! Thanks for the grins!

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  4. 60 pounds? WOW! I have to say regionally, the foods of NM is one of the best in the U.S. and much due to your beloved green chili. I prefer these latkes over the originals!

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  5. This reminds me of a fantastic potato dish I had in Santa Fe many years ago. Can't remember the name of the restaurant but I bought their cookbook so I'd have the recipe. I love this version and will have to try it. Thank you!! Kate (kateiscooking)

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  6. This looks really, really good!

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  7. Sixty pounds of chiles? You go girl! Though I'd never in a million years use up that many, I appreciate your fervor for the hot stuff. (and those latkes do look delicious!)

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  8. Never even thought of making a potato latke, but now I'm intrigued. Sounds yummy.

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  9. A 30 lb BAG of those things was gone in mid-summer? Wow. Your latkes are beautiful though and I'd like the extra heat. Beautiful poem; beautiful post; beautiful woman.

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  10. That is a lot of green chiles! I love how New Mexican food is really hot--it's always nice for a change of pace when I happen to be driving through.

    As for your latkes, the chiles and cheese bring a whole new dimension to a Jewish favorite. I think I would have eaten more of these as a child if they were this kicked up. As it is, I miss my grandma's and haven't had any good ones since she passed.

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  11. Brilliant! We have all sorts of chiles coming out the garden. They are GREAT for experimentation!

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  12. These sound fabulous! Love the flavor combo!

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  13. p.s. red chile fusion recipes to follow! stay tuned.....equally yum....

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  14. These are my favorite peppers! I can almost taste and smell those green chile cheese potato latkes. It will drive me crazy the rest of the day and now I'm not looking fwd to what I had planned for dinner. Truly.

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  15. *claps* Fabulous poem! hehe And those latkes look delish, too!

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  16. I love hatch chiles! They were super popular back in Texas when I was living there. The specialty grocery store change would have a hatch festival each year showcasing the little beauties. You can't find them here in NC so I appreciate the links.

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  17. so if its chile today it must be hot tamale! oh well that wasn't funny..lol...let me have another margarita and it will be! You love your chile's I can see that! Those latkes look very good, I could certainly go for a few of those!

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  18. Those sound delicious! Definitely a recipe I want to try! Thanks for sharing! ;)

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  19. YUM! these look fab, so crispy and spicy! Girl, I've been in Albuquerque in green chile season. I've seen the madness and the big roasters on the side of the road. "what's the big deal?" I would ask my aunt. then I tasted them on pizza, hamburgers, breakfast burittos and now I know. I just made some tortilla soup the other night and threw some in. yes, they were canned but still yummy, but not as yummy as fresh. Love the poem. big hugs!

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  20. Omg these look amazing! Being from New Mexico. And transplanted in CA I miss the fresh hatch chilies .... low and behold. Our local grocer just got a shipment .... definitely going to try this recipe! Thanks. For sharing. Hugs ~V

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  21. Your blog is fabulous...I'm so glad that I stumbled upon it. And I love this post because we have green chile fever in Austin right now. We have been looking for some new recipes, and this fits the bill perfectly!
    http://anecdotesandapples.weebly.com

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  22. Fantastic poem! And I love green chilies too, any chilies! You have a great site, found yours through magic of spice. Congratulations on the award! Joining you! Have a lovely weekend!

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  23. Thanks for visiting my blog. I happiyl returned your visit. I love your mixture of food and/for thought. I see you as very sensual in the way you select and prepare for cooking, it reminds me a lot of myself. For sure i will be back. Hugs across the pond

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  24. Though I live in PA, my husband plants green chiles in the garden and he is makes potato pancakes from his grandfather's recipe, so I think he really needs to make these! I was born in Albuquerque, and he is PA German, so it's great fusion.

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  25. I can't get enough latkes... must be my Jewish upbringing ;-) These look particularly wonderful and I'm going to have to try these next time. Have you ever done sweet potato latkes? Fan-freakin-tastic!

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  26. This sounds like heaven! I'm a big chile fan as well, with a pile of jalapenos, cayenne, habaneros, and poblanos sitting on my kitchen counter!

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  27. These look SO FLIPPIN DELICIOUS!!!!!! I am making them today. Ok, not today because I don't have the chilies, but soon. Mmmmmmmmm... Thank you!!

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  28. Exactly what I'm looking for! This will be sure to win our congregation's latke contest. Many thanks.
    LA, Fort Collins, CO

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  29. Haha, You Are Hysterical. Good RepOst.

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  30. Haha, You Are Hysterical. Good RepOst.

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