Potato and Greens Tacos with Toasted Red Chile

Servings: 12  small tacos
The soft cazuela tacos at Tacos Gus in Mexico City were the inspiration for this simple, tasty soft taco. Add a green salad and classic Mexican white rice, and you have a meal.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2/3 cup good olive oil
  • 1 medium dried guajillo chile, stem and seeds discarded
  • 1 medium dried ancho chile, stem and seeds discarded
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
  • 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • Salt
  • 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ¼” cubes
  • 4 cups coarsely chopped raw greens (black kale, curly kale, chard, spinach all work well)
  • 1/4 cup aged Mexican cheese
  • 12 warm corn tortillas

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Lay the stemmed and seeded chiles and garlic cloves in the oil. Turn the chiles and garlic back and forth until the chiles are toasty and the garlic cloves are light brown. Remove the chiles to a blender jar, and add the sherry vinegar and salt. Let the garlic and oil cool for about 10 minutes. Blend the chiles and vinegar and stream in the cooled oil.

In a medium 10-inch skillet set over medium heat, sauté the diced potatoes in the red chile dressing, until the potatoes are soft and easy to mash, about 20 to 25 minutes. Mash them a few times with an old fashioned potato masher and add the chopped greens. Cover and let the flavor blend and the greens wilt slightly. Taste for seasoning, adding salt if necessary. Serve with a sprinkling of the cheese, a stack of warm tortillas and your favorite red chile tomatillo salsa.