Potato Taquitos with Salsa Verde

It's finally not in the triple digits here in sunny southern California, so I can finally start using the oven without causing the whole house to strip down to their chonies. And good thing, because I have been craving potato taquitos for weeks, and when I finally got around to it, I had no oil to fry them up. Which actually turned out great, because baked taquitos are astronomically healthier and we better try and avoid those holiday pounds to come while we still can (and make up for the calories in cheese). 

Here, I created a spicy, herby smashed potato filling, baked the little dudes and topped them with gooey Daiya pepperjack cheese and my favorite homemade salsa verde, made with roasted tomatillos. Dip them in fresh guacamole, and living in Southern California is suddenly worth 90 degree Octobers.

Start by preheating your oven to broil (for the tomatillos). Then, fill up a large pot of water to boil the potatoes. 

Now, peel 3-4 russet potatoes and go ahead and chop them into large chunks so they'll cook all the way through faster. 

Instead of watching the water boil for what will likely seem like all night, prepare the tomatillos. Around here, these are dirt cheap- I got the two pounds needed for this recipe for close to a dollar. Peel off the papery skins and wash.

Then slice in half like this. Freaking adorable little guys, huh. 

Place them face down on a baking sheet, along with your 4 peeled garlic cloves and chopped jalapenos. De-seed the jalapenos if you don't want as much heat. I used 2 1/2 jalapenos with the seeds for this batch and it was spicy as all hell for me, but as chola-bred as I am, I actually have no tolerance for chili heat. So it's all personal preference. 

By now, the oven should be preheated. Drizzle with olive oil and throw it in the broiler for 5-15 minutes until blackened. Like my mother, I always forget when I put things in the broiler, so setting the timer for every five minutes might be helpful. 

They should look beautiful and roasted like this once done. Let them cool enough to handle while you finish the potatoes. Also at this time, turn your oven down to 350 degrees.

If you timed it right, the potatoes would have been put in the boiling water about the same time as the peppers in the broiler. After being boiled for 15 minutes, drain the potatoes and put them back in the pot. 

Add 3 tbsp butter and smash them up a little. Add 3/4 cup almond milk and continue to smash them until you get the consistency you like. I like mine a bit chunky. 

Stir in chopped green onion, jalapeno, and salt and pepper. Remember this recipe for smashed potatoes for the future, because it is really damn good. 

By this time, the chili's and peppers should be cooled enough. Dump the whole pan of garlic, jalapeno and tomatillos in a blender, along with all the juices and seeds. Add 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro and 1/2 tsp or so of salt and blend away. You don't want it totally pureed, but salsa-like. Set aside while you assemble the taquitos. 

Now to assemble the goods. Microwave your corn tortillas and keep a warm towel over them while working with them to prevent them from cracking (note: as you will see soon, some of my last few tortillas still cracked when rolled, and as you can see in this picture, I didn't do a very good job at keeping them covered. Also, they were the end of the package of tortillas so I'm sure that didn't help).

Using your fingers, coat each tortilla with oil. You only need a tiny bit. Then scoop about 2 tbsp. of the potato filling into the tortilla. Roll, and stick with a toothpick and place on a baking sheet.

I made a dozen, but had some leftover fillings and plenty of salsa (but ran out of tortillas). All in all, you should be able to get about 20 taquitos.

Put in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until they start to turn a nice golden brown color. 

Sprinkle Daiya pepperjack cheese allllll over. 1/2 cup went good for a dozen, but I probably would've used half the bag if I had enough. 

Pop back into the oven for another 10 minutes or so, until the cheese is perfectly melted and oozing all over the toasty, crunchy heaven-filled taquitos. At this point, I poured my salsa verde on top before I served them, to warm up the salsa a bit. But, they are just as scrumptious dipped in the salsa as well. 

Serve with guacamole and extra salsa. Sour cream would be divine, too. Voila!

Potato Taquitos with Salsa Verde
Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Makes 15-20 taquitos 

Ingredients:
1 package corn tortillas
1/2-1 cup Daiya pepperjack cheese
2 tbsp olive oil

For the salsa verde:
2 lbs tomatillos (about a dozen)
2-3 jalepenos 
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp salt 

For the potato filling:
3-4 russet potatoes
2 green onions, sliced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 tbsp butter
3/4 cup almond milk
salt and pepper (to taste)

For the salsa verde:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees (to broil). 

Peel off skins of tomatillos and slice in half, horizontally. De-stem jalapenos and slice in half long-ways. De-seed if desired. Peel garlic cloves. Place all on a baking sheet face down, and drizzle with olive oil. 

Broil for 5-15 minutes, checking every so often, until blackened. Remove from oven and cool before handling.

Place all roasted veggies into a blender, including all juices and seeds from the baking sheet. Add salt and chopped cilantro. Blend until desired consistency. 

For the potato filling:
Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Peel potatoes and chop into large chunks. Boil in water for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain and put back into pot. 

Add butter and milk into pot and mash with a potato masher until desired consistency. Stir in sliced green onions and minced jalapeno. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Assembling the taquitos:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Microwave corn tortillas, wrapped with a moist paper towel a few seconds to soften (keep tortillas covered with paper towel while working to prevent cracking).

Place olive oil in shallow dish. Using your fingers, lightly coat each tortilla with oil. Scoop 1-2 tbsp of potato mixture into the center of tortilla and roll. Stick with a toothpick and place on baking sheet.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until the tortillas begin to develop a golden brown color. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes or so, until the cheese is melted and the taquitos are brown and crunchy.

Serve with salsa verde, guacamole, sour cream, and any other toppings or dips of your choosing.