Ingredients
Salsa
| Roma tomatoes |
7
|
| White onion |
1/2
|
| Garlic cloves |
4
|
| Drizzle of oil | |
| Chiles de arbol |
2-4
|
| Salt |
2 tsp.
|
| Cilantro |
1/2 cup
|
Peppers
| Poblano peppers |
8-10
|
| Ground beef |
1 lb.
|
| White onion, diced |
1/2
|
| Garlic powder |
1 tsp.
|
| Chile powder |
1 tsp.
|
| Black pepper |
1 tsp.
|
| Cumin |
1/2 tsp.
|
| Small Yukon Gold potatoes, diced |
3-4
|
| Salsa, green or red |
1-2 cups
|
| Water |
1 cup
|
| Shredded cheese, such as Chihuahua |
for stuffing
|
| Large eggs, yolks and whites separated |
8-10
|
| All-purpose flour |
for dusting over peppers
|
| Oil |
for frying
|
Directions
Salsa
- To make the salsa, SLICE tomatoes in half and PLACE them on baking tray with half of the onion and the garlic. SPRAY with oil and PLACE under the broiler for 5-6 minutes. REMOVE from broiler, ADD the chiles de arbol, and BROIL for one more minute.
- ADD all ingredients to a blender, along with 1 tsp of salt and cilantro. BLEND until combined and smooth. POUR into a saucepan and set to low heat to stay warm for serving.
Peppers
- To roast the poblano peppers, PLACE them over an open flame turning every 30-60 seconds until charred all over. Alternatively, you can PLACE them on baking sheet and BROIL on high for 3-4 minutes per side or until charred all over.
- Once the peppers are charred, PLACE them in a bowl and COVER tightly so they can steam.
- LET the peppers steam for 10-15 minutes. One by one, carefully SCRAPE OFF as much of the charred skin as possible. Once the skin is removed, CUT a slit lengthwise into the pepper and, using a small spoon, SCRAPE OUT as much of the seeds as possible.
Pro Tip: You can do this under running water in your sink to make sure all seeds have been removed. Set peppers aside. - To make the picadillo filling, ADD the ground beef to a large skillet set to medium heat. START breaking down the beef and COOK for 4-5 minutes.
- While the beef is still partially raw, ADD the diced onion to the beef and the spices, stirring to combine, and then COOK for 3-4 minutes.
- ADD in the diced potatoes and MIX to combine, then immediately ADD in the red or green salsa and water, mixing once more. COVER with a lid, REDUCE heat to low, and SIMMER for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- To stuff the peppers, ADD 1-2 tbsp of shredded cheese to the pepper, followed by 2-3 Tbsp of the picadillo (ground beef mixture) and another small sprinkling of the cheese.
- PLACE the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet and SPRINKLE with all-purpose flour, as this will help the egg batter stick when frying. CONTINUE stuffing all peppers. Any picadillo filling left over is great for tacos or quesadillas. If you have room, PLACE the stuffed peppers in the fridge while you prepare the egg batter.
- To make the egg batter, TAKE room-temperature eggs and SEPARATE the whites into a large mixing bowl and the yolks into a smaller bowl. Using a stand mixer or a handheld mixer, START whipping the egg whites until they have doubled in volume with thick, medium-hold peaks (this should take about 5-6 minutes).
- With your mixer on low speed, slowly ADD the egg yolks to the egg whites. The egg batter will become a pale yellow.
- FILL a large frying pan with 1 inch of oil. SET to medium heat.
- Working in batches and using tongs, DIP the stuffed poblano peppers into the egg batter making sure to coat them all over, then slowly PLACE it into the oil. Using a large spoon, slowly BATHE the top of the peppers with oil.
- After 1-2 minutes, FLIP over the peppers to COOK on the other side. FRY for 2 more minutes. PLACE the fried chile relleno on a paper towel-lined tray to soak up any excess oil.
- To serve, SPOON over the salsa we made earlier onto your serving plate and PLACE the pepper over the salsa. SERVE with tortillas and rice.