I love poblano chile peppers.  I love their intense flavor without all the spice – it is a deep rich chile flavor that I just crave.  They are the perfect chiles for kids – especially if your kids are not into spicy foods – which mine are not.  I have been reading Matthew Amster-Burton’s new book Hungry Monkey – and he talks about how his daughter LOVED spicy food as an infant!  I couldn’t believe it.  I remember the first time we gave my older daughter something spicy (because when they are babies, they have to eat what you are eating…or else – which he also covers in his book) and the expression on her face was priceless.  Then she stuck out her tongue and tried to wipe off whatever was in her mouth (which was nothing at this point).  We finally just gave her some milk and it calmed her down.  We were hysterical.

Bon Appetit recently started a section every month called Sunday Suppers – they create a menu that is perfect for the entire family to enjoy.  That is always my mission – create a very tasty meal that all of us will love – and so I have been very interested in this section every since they started it.  This month they roasted a chicken and served it with tortillas – and this gratin.  The roasted chicken was delicious, and lasted us the entire week – and this dish was incredible.  The flavor of the peppers infused the potatoes, and the corn gave it a slightly sweet flavor.  In fact, after we had already finished everything – I realized that it would have been excellent to shred up the leftover chicken and mix it with the leftover gratin for a one dish casserole dinner.  Next time!

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 2 large fresh poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, cut into 2 x 1/4-inch strips
• 1 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 cup coarsely grated Oaxaca cheese or whole-milk mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Rub 9 1/2-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish or cast-iron skillet with 2 teaspoons oil. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add poblano strips and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Arrange 1/3 of potato rounds, overlapping slightly, in prepared pie dish. Sprinkle 1/3 of poblano strips over, then 1/3 of corn and 1/3 of cheese. Repeat with 1/3 of potatoes, 1/3 of poblanos, 1/3 of corn, and 1/3 of cheese. Top with remaining potatoes, poblanos, and corn, reserving remaining 1/3 of cheese. Place pie dish on rimmed baking sheet.

Whisk half and half, flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in small bowl. Pour over potato mixture in pie dish; press potatoes to submerge. Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle remaining cheese over gratin. Continue to bake gratin until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden brown, about 25 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Poblano, Potato and Corn Gratin