Roasted Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Spicy Mashed Potatoes

A lively potato dish that’s easy to prepare with a high return on flavor. Roasted Poblano peppers stuffed with spicy mashed potatoes equals pure excitement.

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. 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 chile soups, chile quiches, chile burgers and chile scrambled eggs. Rejoice! How about a mashed potato stuffed poblano chile pepper?

We made this easy poblano and potato side dish at Culinary School and I couldn’t wait to recreate it at home. Poblano peppers are roasted stove top until black and blistered and then stuffed with a mashed potato mixture of tangy goat cheese, salsa with a Chinese hot sauce blended in. XO Sauce to be exact. XO sauce is a spicy, crunchy mix of dried scallops, shrimp, and chiles along with cured ham, oil, and seasonings that many Chinese cooks adore. It’s labor intensive, plus you need ingredients such as dried shrimp, dried scallops and a special pork, Jinhua ham. Some say it’s the greatest sauce on the planet, bringing out the best in any dish it comes in contact with.

Not having a single item in my pantry to make this sauce, I opted to make these potatoes with a big spoonful of Sambal Oelek. It seemed to work just fine, since one of the recipients of this dish referred to them as “life changing”.

The final flavor result for this mashed potato side dish, is earthy, Southwestern, savory, spicy and tangy creamy thanks to the goat cheese. Let’s take a look:

More Stuffed Pepper Recipes:

• Chile Poblano with Pumpkin Mole
• Picadillo Stuffed Mini Bell Peppers
• Lemony Greek Stuffed Bell Peppers
• Spinach and Sausage Stuffed Italian Sweet Frying Peppers
• Chicken Chiles Rellenos in Tomato Cream Sauce

5 from 1 vote

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Roasted Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Spicy Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr 15 mins

 

A lively potato dish that's easy to prepare with a high return on flavor. Poblano peppers are roasted then stuffed with mashed potatoes that have been flavored with pure excitement.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Southwestern

Servings: 6

Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

• 6 medium Russet Potatoes baked
• 4 ounce Log of Goat Cheese room temperature
• 1/2 cup Mild or Medium Mexican Salsa
• 1 Tablespoon Sambal Oelek
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 3 Tablespoons Butter divided into 6 chunks

Instructions

1. Wrap the potatoes in foil and bake at 350 degrees until tender. While they're still hot, pass the potatoes through a potato ricer. Or mash with a potato masher until fine. 

2. In the meantime, 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. 

3. 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.

4. When the potatoes are at room temperature. Mix in the goat cheese. With clean hands, mix well. 

5. Add the salsa and the Sambal Oelek. Mix well. Taste and adjust for flavor. Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

6. 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. 

7. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If you'd like them browned, finish them under the broiler for just a minute.  

Spicy Mashed Potato Stuffed Roasted Poblano Peppers …They’re what’s for Dinner.