Chiles are among the most important ingredients in Southwestern cuisine. They are one of what I call the “magic eight” ingredients that Native peoples shared with the world: corn, beans, squash, chiles, tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla, and cacao. Whether they are roasted, peeled, eaten fresh, or dried and ground into powder, chiles are one of my most favorite ingredients.
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The green chile is the unripened fresh fruit harvested throughout the summer months; the ripened fruit, the red chile, is harvested at the end of the growing season. (Red chiles are often strung into ristras and hung to dry, a practice common in the Southwest for millennia.) A frequent question in New Mexico is “red or green?” which is asking you which color chile sauce you want in or on your food. If you respond by saying “Christmas,” you’ll get both red and green chile sauce in or on your dish.
While I’m fond of red chiles, at heart I’m a green chile girl, and I use New Mexico green chiles in a wide variety of dishes. I think the bright, vegetal flavor of green chiles is unique, and I love the delicious savory (often mild) spiciness they add to recipes.
Potato and Green Chile Casserole
A dish to celebrate the enchanting flavor —and cultural importance—of mild green chiles.
Get the RecipeThis green chile casserole, modeled after northern New Mexico’s famous stacked enchiladas, is wonderful as a plant-based main course or as a flavorful side dish. This type of casserole is typically made with layers of corn tortillas, red chile sauce (made with dried red chiles), cheese, and meat.
I’ve taken this version in a different direction by substituting thinly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes for the tortillas and using a sauce based on fresh green chiles instead of dried red ones. I bypass the meat and cheese entirely and use coconut milk to replace some of the creamy sweetness of the cheese.
Coconut Migration: By Boat or By Float
While botanists aren’t certain where coconut trees originated, many think that they were first cultivated on the Indian subcontinent; others suggest they were cultivated in two distinct areas, in the Indian Ocean region and also in the Pacific. Additionally, coconuts float; scientists believe coconuts can bob along the ocean’s surface for longer than 100 days and still germinate when they wash ashore—coconut commutes of several thousand miles are not uncommon. Coconuts existed in South America before Europeans arrived, possibly having been introduced to that region by Austronesian sailors or via floating. European sailors then brought coconuts from South America to other regions of the Americas.
I think the casserole has just the right amount of spark to keep you coming back for more without being too spicy. I hope that you try this recipe and love it as much as I do.
Lois Ellen Frank, PhD, is a Santa Fe–based chef, Native foods historian, James Beard Award–winning author, culinary anthropologist, educator, photographer, and organic gardener. She is the chef/owner of Red Mesa Cuisine, LLC (redmesacuisine.com), a catering company specializing in Indigenous cuisine and cultural education with a modern twist. Dr. Frank has spent more than 30 years documenting and working with the foods and lifeways of Native American communities in the Southwest. Her most recent cookbook, Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky: Modern Plant-Based Recipes Using Native American Ingredients, was published in 2023.
