Spicy Mashed Potatoes are stuffed inside roasted poblano peppers for a unique showy side dish for any Southwestern main course. A poblano pepper side dish that brings pure excitement.
And if you’re a poblano pepper fan, take a look at my recipe for Chive Poblano Mashed Potatoes.
What You Can Expect From This Recipe
Sometimes the tastiest food isn’t always the prettiest. But there’s something about the flavor and the aroma of a blackened and shriveled up roasted poblano pepper that makes me want to consume Mexican food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We made these easy mashed potato stuffed poblano peppers at Culinary School and I couldn’t wait to recreate it at home and share it with you.
Poblano peppers are roasted stove top until black and blistered and then stuffed with a mashed potato mixture of tangy goat cheese, Mexican salsa and dollop of spicy Sambal Olek sauce.
The final flavor result for this feisty smashed potato mix that’s earthy, savory and spicy that most certainly compliments that smoky roasted poblano pepper. A poblano pepper side dish that you’ll want to make over and over.
Let’s take a look:
The Process
- Step 1: For a more rustic flavored potato, we’ll oven roast russet potatoes in their skins, rather than peeling, cubing and boiling like we would for mashed potatoes. They’ll have a coarser texture and fuller potato flavor. Rub them with oil, sprinkle with coarse salt and bake until tender. About 1 hour, depending on the size of the potatoes.
- Step 2: Once the potatoes are cooked, let them cool for about 15 minutes. Using a knife, the skins can easily be removed. Place the potato flesh in a large bowl and add softened room temperature goat cheese.
- Step 3: Use a potato masher to blend the goat cheese and potatoes. No need to mash them to a creamy mashed potato consistency. Remember this is a rustic recipe.
- Step 4: Add the salsa, salt and the Sambal Oelek.
- Step 5: Use a potato masher to mix well. Taste and adjust for flavor. Add more Sambal Oelek is you want it spicier.
- Step 6: Use a knife to make a slit in the roasted poblano peppers. Remove the large seed pod at the top and scrape out most of the seeds. Use a spoon to stuff each poblano with a good amount of the potato mixture. Place each stuffed pepper on a sheet pan.
- Step 7: Place a pat of butter on top of each of the mashed potato stuffed poblano peppers.
- Step 7: Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If you’d like them browned, finish them under the broiler for just a minute. Serve in your favorite festive Southwestern dish.
How To Roast Poblano Peppers Stove-top
Place poblano peppers over medium high heat directly on gas stove grates. Use tongs to turn frequently until the skin is blistered. Place the blistered pepper in a plastic bag but don’t seal. Let them steam for about 15 minutes then remove skin. This can also be done on an outdoor grill.
Questions You May Have
Russet potatoes have a high starch content and are better for smashing or mashing. Save those Yukon Golds for frying or for soup recipes like this recipe for Hamburger Potato Soup.
Tips For Success
- Allow one hour for goat cheese to come to room temperature.
- Each Fall, when chile roasters are fired up, buy a good stash of roasted poblano peppers and keep them in the freezer. Much easier than roasting them yourself.
More Popular Recipes, How To Use Poblano Peppers
Tis the season. The chile roasters have fired up their propane and the smell of the Southwest is starting to fill the air here in Denver. So begins the endless parade of pepper recipes. Here are some ideas.
- Chicken Poblano Soup with Hominy
- Cheddar Cheese Soup with Chicken and Poblanos
- Lobster Tacos with Poblano Peppers
- Ground Chicken Burgers
- Chicken and Poblano Soup
And if you love Mexican food as much as we do, don’t miss my Mexican Food Category. You’ll find lots of fabulous recipe to spice up your meal plans. Including the most popular Mexican food recipe on my site for Hatch Green Chili with Pork.
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Spicy Mashed Potatoes Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 large Poblano pepers roasted and split in half
- 6 medium Russet Potatoes baked
- ¼ Cup Heavy cream
- 4 ounce Log of Goat Cheese room temperature
- ½ cup Mexican Salsa mild or medium
- 1 Tablespoon Sambal Oelek
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- 3 Tablespoons Butter divided into 6 chunks
Instructions
- Bake potatoes at 350 degrees until tender.
- Roast poblanos over open flame on your gas stove top. One by one, simply place the poblanos directly on the grates turning them often to get the black and blistered.
- When the poblanos are cool enough to handle, make a slit down the center of each pepper. Remove some of the seeds and a little bit of the veins if you’d like. This will make the peppers less spicy with heat. I don’t remove much of the blackened skin, because this is where the smoky flavor lies. If you must remove skin, do so with your hands. Don’t rinse the peppers under water. You’re rinsing away flavor.
- Once cooked, let the potatoes sit for about 15 minutes, and when cool enough to handle, use a knife to remove the potato peel. The peel will come off easily in big strips. Scrape any large bits of potatoes from the peel. Add the potatoes and cream to a bowl and use a potato masher to mash until somewhat smooth. This is a rustic recipe, so they don't have to be creamy like mashed potatoes.
- Mix in the goat cheese.
- Add the salsa, salt and the Sambal Oelek. Mix well. Taste and adjust for flavor. Add more Sambal Oelek is you want it spicier.
- With a spoon, stuff each poblano with a good amount of the potato mixture. Place each stuffed pepper on a sheet pan. Place a pat of butter on top of the mashed potatoes.
- Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If you’d like them browned, finish them under the broiler for just a minute.
Notes
- Allow one hour for goat cheese to come to room temperature.
- Each Fall, when chile roasters are fired up, buy a good stash of roasted poblano peppers and keep them in the freezer. Much easier than roasting them yourself.
Nutrition
Spicy Mashed Potato Stuffed Poblano Peppers …They’re what’s for Dinner.
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Hi Lea Ann,
These look delicious and so impressive! Any advice on how to make them ahead of time and reheat when serving dinner to quests?
Also why do you roast potatoes instead of boiling them?
Thank you!
Good Morning Becky and thanks for your note.
If I were going to make these ahead, I’d cook and assemble and them keep them in a crockpot on warm setting.
I’m not sure making them a day ahead would work well. They’re dense in nature and would be hard to re-heat. You could try bringing them to room temperature and then placing them in a 170 degree oven for about 30 minutes. But I’m afraid the pepper texture would be compromised.
RE: baking potatoes. It’s just an easy hands off way to cook potatoes for mashing, Rather than the boiling method. Plus, once they’re baked, the skins come off easily. Easier than peeling them before boiling. It really has nothing to do with flavor.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Did you forget to peel the charred skin off?
Actually no. I like to leave a little of the charred skin on for flavor. But it does look like I left a little bit too much on. 🙂
Love fresh chile season! Roasted some Hatch chilies today. 🙂 Anyway, this looks like a fun — and tasty! — dish. Thanks!
I cannot imagine how delicious this dish was. I agree with Vickie—“Dying here.” I soooooo want to make some of these. I did roast green chilis today and froze some. No for the poblanos!
Dying here. ? Looks so amazing. Love the new sauce and now I’m on a mission.
These look delicious – just the ‘something different’ I was looking for . . . what type of protein would you recommend?
Never would have thought of stuffing a poblano with taters but it makes total since and looks delicious. Until you said it on Facebook recently, I did not realize you were in full time culinary school – wow. I’ll bet you are thoroughly enjoying it and learning a ton.
Lea Ann, oh my, do these ever look good! There’s just no reason at all I wouldn’t go completely overboard and eat just one too many!