Pork & Potato Enchiladas Verdes – Recipe!

Leftovers can be a cooks best friend because the food is already cooked, you just need a little imagination for a successful transformation.  I am not one to reheat leftovers just like I ate them on the first go-round, especially when there are so many others ways to enjoy them.  Even simple recipes like meat sauce, can be made into an ooey-gooey Meaty Italian Grilled Cheese, in case you missed it, or ingredients like leftover chicken or beef, can be made into soups, stews, sandwiches and pastas.

Those Slow-Cooker Asian Style Pork Ribs from Monday’s post are what we are working with today, and you don’t want to miss this meal.  Shredding that last of the pork off the bone and tossing it with a diced steamy potato, creates the best enchilada filling.  If you’ve ever had a vegetarian Rajas-Style taco with sauteed poblanos and potatoes, these enchiladas taste very similar, except with pork added in the filling.  The combination of creamy tomatillo salsa and cheese over the loaded enchiladas are something Mexican food dreams are made of, at least mine are anyway.

One of the best cooking hacks I learned lately is to brush each corn tortilla with oil and place them in a plastic bag, and microwave them for 30 seconds.  The tortillas soften up perfectly, ready to fill and there’s no need to soft fry them before filling.  It pays to watch PBS cooking shows on the weekend – thanks Chef Rick Bayless, I’m using this technique from now on.  As for the enchiladas, after filling, they only need a few minutes in the oven for a bit of browning, and you are ready for some pretty delicious leftovers.

Ingredients

1/2 pound cooked shredded pork, beef or chicken

4 small potatoes, fingerling, new or red

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups tomatillo sauce, homemade or store-bought salsa

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cup shredded jack cheese

8-10 corn tortillas

jalapeno for topping, optional

vegetable oil, for brushing

(Makes 8-10 Enchiladas)

To Prepare:

1. Place shredded pork in a bowl and set aside.  In a smaller microwave safe bowl, add potatoes and 1/4 cup water, cover with plastic wrap.  Microwave potatoes for 5 minutes on high.  Remove from bowl and let cool.  Dice potatoes and add to pork mixture.  Add cumin, onion powder and salt to pork mixture, stir to combine, set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Brush each tortilla with oil and place in a large plastic bag.  Fold top of bag underneath tortillas, do not seal, and microwave for 30 seconds on high.  Remove and set aside.  Mix tomatillo salsa and cream together in a bowl or blender, set aside.
3. Remove one tortillas at a time and fill with pork & potato mixture, along with 2 tablespoons shredded cheese.  Place into a greased and lightly tomatillo sauced (about 1/4 cup) casserole dish.  Continue to fill each tortillas, placing them in dish until filling is gone.  Top enchiladas with remaining sauce and cheese.  Cover with foil and bake in oven for 18-20 minutes, remove foil and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is just beginning to brown.
4. Remove enchiladas from oven and sprinkle with jalapenos.  Serve immediately, Enjoy!