When I think back to a dish that really brings back memories of my childhood, Enchiladas Michoacanas (also known as Enchiladas de Papa) are the first that come to mind. Growing up, my mom was always a busy bee, running from one place to the next but she always made time to make some insanely delicious food. Whenever she'd ask me what I felt like eating for dinner, I'd always say enchiladas because they are seriously that good and I knew they were not too much of a hassle for her on a busy day. Nothing about this recipe is hard but it will take some practice especially if you've never made enchiladas before.
My Mistakes: The first time I made this recipe, I tried to go off memory and completely forgot to pre-cook the tortillas before dipping them into the enchilada sauce and figured when I'd fry them, they'd cook enough and I was.. well.. wrong. Always heat up your tortillas before you start dipping them! Another mistake is adding too much water to the salsa, runny salsa will not stick to your tortillas and only make them soggy and not give us that beautiful red tortilla we all want to see.
Recipe makes approx. 15-20 enchiladas
Ingredients for Salsa for Enchiladas Roja:
4 chiles guajillos
3 chiles puya
1 clove of garlic
1/4 tsp. of ground cumin
1 pinch of oregano
1/2 tsp salt
Water
Ingredients for pickled onion:
1/2 red onion
juice of 1 lime or lemon
Pinch of coarse salt
Pinch of oregano
All Other Ingredients:
Corn tortillas
3 medium white potatoes
Half a head of iceberg lettuce
2-3 tomatoes
1/4 C. shredded cheese
1 Tbs of butter or vegetable spread
1/4 C. oil
2 Tbs. milk
Queso fresco
Procedure:
Step 1:
Devein and deseed the chile pods and toss everything (stem, veins, and seeds included) into a small pot with about 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. After a few minutes in a rolling boil, turn off the heat, cover, and set aside to let them continue rehydrating.
Step 2:
Throw your potatoes in a deep pot with enough water to cover them and bring to a boil. Leave them in a rolling boil until you are able to pierce them easily with a knife or fork. While waiting for them to be ready, prepare your toppings and salsa.
Step 3:
Finely shred your lettuce, I find a mandoline gives me the best results. Dice your tomatoes. For your pickled onions, thinly slice your red onions in half-moons, toss your onions into a container and add your lime/lemon juice, salt, oregano, and mix. Cover all of your toppings and pop them in the fridge until needed to assemble.
Step 4:
Blend your rehydrated chile pods (without stems, seeds, or veins), cumin, garlic, salt, a pinch of oregano, and a little less than 1 cup of the water used to rehydrate the chiles and blend until the salsa is smooth. The salsa consistency should not be too thick or too runny; it should coat and cling to your tortilla without slipping off. If your blender doesn't blend well, you can run your salsa through a strainer to get a glossier texture. Taste test your salsa - here you can rectify the salt and add more if needed. If you want spicier enchiladas, then throw a couple of the chile veins in your sauce and reblend. Pour your salsa into a wide, shallow container. Tip: Chile pod veins are what carry the heat so use these as your spice boosters or completely avoid them if you don't do spice. Also, this salsa tends to stain so don't make these enchiladas in your favorite white t-shirt!
Step 5:
Once your potatoes are done and cooled down enough to handle, peel and toss them into a big bowl. Add your cheese mix (I use Costco's Mexican cheese blend), milk, butter, and 1/4 tsp of salt then mash those taters away until you get a smooth mix. If your mashed potatoes are still on the dry side, add a drizzle of milk. Check them for salt - if they need more then just add more al gusto. Roll them into little finger-like tubes, cover them and place them in your refrigerator while you move onto prepping the tortillas.
Step 6:
This step is really important!! Heat up the tortillas in a pan (no oil) on high heat so they can cook and stiffen up a bit. If you skip this step, I promise you will get a soggy mess of tortillas when you dip them in the enchilada sauce. Store your heated tortillas in a tortillero or any container that will keep them warm. Prep your area to begin making the enchiladas.
Step 7:
Heat up about 1/4 cup of oil in a wide pan. Dip your cooked tortilla into your salsa and make sure to coat both sides. Carefully place your saucy tortilla in the pan to fry. If your oil is too hot, the sauce will start to jump so be careful and make sure the heat isn't too high. The key is to let your tortilla set to crisp up a bit > flip your saucy tortilla > add your potato "finger" > carefully roll the tortilla with tongs. Expect your tortilla to soften and maybe even rip a bit but that's not a big deal! This will take some trial and error and that is totally OK, it only gets easier. Scoot the enchilada to the side of your pan to continue to crisp and repeat this with every tortilla. When your pan starts to dry out, just drizzle a bit more oil. Place your freshly-made enchiladas on a large serving platter or serve immediately. My mom would fill up entire baking sheets with them!
Step 8:
Time to prepare your delicious masterpiece! Place your enchiladas on a plate and layer your shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, pickled onions (I pour a little of the pickle juice over), then crumble queso fresco over them y listo! This is totally optional but you can drizzle some Tapatio, Valentina, or Cholula to really bring the dish together.
And that is how you make the Enchiladas Michoacánas I grew up eating and enjoy to this day. I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as I do. Let me know how it comes out if you try it!
Cocinera's Note:
Feel free to add shredded chicken instead of the potato fingers, you can't go wrong with shredded chicken. However, if you've never had enchiladas de papa, I highly recommend you try this at least once! I also know a lot of people fry their tortilla in oil, set them aside, then dip them in sauce and assemble - I don't think there is a right or wrong way of doing it but I have found that my mom's method worked best for me. However, if you decide to use the fry-then-dip method, you will have to cook your salsa a bit. All you have to do it put about 2 tsp. of oil in a pan to heat then throw your sauce in and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, let it cool, and now it's ready to start dipping!