Potatoes & Chiles with Sour Cream & Garlic

Scalloped potatoes are great, but they weren't exactly what I had in mind when planning a Mexican steak dinner.  Then I saw this recipe.  You get the creaminess you expect from scalloped potatoes, with a tiny bit of heat from the chiles, bringing the fiesta theme throughout every dish of your dinner.  Oh...and these reheat like a champ too!

2 pounds waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds

2 quarts water

1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons salt 

cooking spray

2 cups sour cream

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half lengthwise

2 poblano chiles, fire-roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch thick strips

Preheat the oven to 350.

Par-cook the potatoes by boiling in the water with 1 tablespoon salt until almost cooked through but still very firm and a little crunchy in the center (about 8 minutes).  Drain immediately.

Grease a baking dish with the cooking spray.  Combine the sour cream, cream, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper and mix until smooth.  Layer a small amount of the cream mixture to cover the bottom of the baking dish.  Arrange the potato slices in the casserole, interspersing the garlic so that it is evenly distributed.  Scatter the chile strips over the potatoes and cover with the remaining sour cream mixture.

Bake 25-35 minutes until the cream has thickened with a little browning on the top and the potatoes are tender.

Serves 6-8.

Recipe adapted from Fiesta on the Grill, by Daniel Hoyer.