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Scalloped potatoes are one of our favorite side dishes but not all their magnetism has to come from luscious cream, cheese and butter. Here we make a full-flavored, quick sauce from roasted tomatillo salsa, milk and corn masa, and the buttery-tasting Yukon gold potatoes. Layer the dish immediately after thinly slicing the potatoes (soaking them in water to prevent discoloring will turn out a watery dish), and be sure to bake it until the potatoes are completely tender.
Serves 8 as a side dish
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons freshly ground corn masa for tortillas (you’ll have to get this at a tortilla factory or well-stocked Mexican grocery)
OR masa harina (corn “flour”)
1 1/2 cups Frontera Tomatillo Salsa
Salt, about 1 teaspoon
Butter or vegetable oil for the pan
12 medium-large (3 pounds total) boiling potatoes (red-skin ones work well here, as do the more all-purpose Yukon golds), sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) shredded Mexican Chihuahua cheese, brick, Monterey Jack or cheddar
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a blender or food processor, combine the milk and masa (or masa harina) and process until thoroughly combined. Pour into a medium-size saucepan, set over medium-high heat and whisk constantly–to avoid getting any lumps–until the mixture comes to a boil, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the salsa, then taste and season the sauce with salt.
Generously butter or oil a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, then spread half of the potatoes evenly over the bottom. Spoon half of the tomatillo sauce and then half of the cheese over the potatoes. Repeat with another layer of potatoes, sauce and cheese.
Bake uncovered until the potatoes are tender when you put a fork into them and the cheese is a beautiful crusty brown, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe excerpted from Salsas That Cook by Rick Bayless (Simon & Schuster).
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