OMG Hatch Chile and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

These are those OMG Mashed Potatoes with Hatch Chile and Cheddar Cheese. I had no idea that many people have trouble making mashed potatoes. This past Thanksgiving I saw on the news that the most looked up recipe on the internet in Phoenix AZ was mashed potatoes. Who Knew! I happen to have a few tricks for better tasting mashed potatoes. I infuse the boiling potatoes with garlic, onion and a hot pepper…(for this recipe I used a jalapeño) and sea salt. For Thanksgiving I do rice the potatoes but here I just hand mashed the potatoes, seasoned them perfect and added cheese and fire roasted Hatch Chile till it tasted perfect. The Hatch Chile is popular in the fall time here in the South West. People that live here where the New Mexican pepper Hatch Chile is sold stock up on them for year round cooking. I find that the flavor of them is just right now for all your cooking needs as the Hatch Chiles I purchased in the fall were incredibly fiery hot and now they are toned down and just delicious!

Ingredients for about 12 servings

3 lbs potatoes – peeled – big ones cut in half. ( I like reds but either potato is fine)

1/2 onion – skin removed and leave whole (just for boiling with potatoes)

3 garlic cloves – (just for boiling with potatoes)

1 jalapeno – cut in half longways – (just for boiling with potatoes)

1 Tablespoon course sea salt (for boiling with potatoes)

2 teaspoons course sea salt – (for seasoning the mashed potatoes)

4 oz unsalted butter

1/2 pint heavy cream

1 cup xtra sharp aged cheddar cheese – shredded – (white cheese will look better)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

5 oz Fire Roasted Hatch Chiles – stem, seeds, and most of skin removed. – chopped -(******NOTE the amount of Hatch Chile may differ depending on how the heat is or how fresh or how long the chiles were in the freezer and also by your taste…) THIS REALLY MATTERS…..because the heat can be 10x hotter sometimes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Directions

Add potatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño and 1 Tablespoon of salt to your pot. Fill with water till the potatoes are covered well. Boil till fork tender. (about 10-15 minutes)

With a slotted spoon remove the potatoes to a colander and drain. Discard onion, garlic, jalapeño and water.

While your pot is hot melt the butter and add remaining spices. You can turn off or turn to low after butter is melted because the potatoes and the pot will remain hot and the rest goes by fast. Add the potatoes and mash with a hand masher. Add cream and mash more and then add cheese and mash more. Lastly add in the Hatch Chiles….(maybe not all at once so you can control the taste)

These Hatch Chile and Cheddar Cheese Mashed Potatoes are certainly a #Crowdpleaser (if you make the right call on how much hatch to add)

Hatch Chile and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

The Forking Truth