Chef Lupita
Arroz a la Oaxaqueña
Oaxaca's red rice, stained with tomato and fried in lard, steamed with carrots, ejotes, black beans, and epazote. The side that anchors a Oaxacan family meal and earns its place beside the main.
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Papas con Rajas Poblanas
Created by
Puebla's central highland potatoes, cooked in manteca with roasted chile poblano, white onion, corn, and crema until the pan smells like a fonda at midday.
Side Dishes
Mexican
Comfort Food
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
20 min
Active Time
30 min cook•50 min total
Yield4 to 6 servings
Puebla, the central highlands, chile poblano country. That is where this dish makes sense. Papas con rajas belongs to the same kitchen family as rajas con crema: roasted poblanos peeled by hand, cut into strips, folded into onion, corn, and potatoes until everything tastes like the comal and the pan.
The chile poblano defines the dish. Not jalapeño. Not canned green chile. A proper poblano is dark green, broad-shouldered, and mild enough that the flavor matters more than the heat. You blister it over a flame or on a comal, sweat it, peel it, and slice it into rajas. That work is small, but it is the difference between a dish with character and a pan of potatoes with green pieces in it.
I learned a version like this from a woman near the Mercado de Sabores Poblanos who used manteca de cerdo without asking permission from anyone. She was right. The lard browns the potatoes cleanly and carries the roasted chile flavor into the crema. La manteca es el sabor. If you want this for tacos, tuck it into warm corn tortillas. Flour tortillas are a northern tradition. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
The potato is native to the Andes, not Mexico, and entered Mexican kitchens through Spanish colonial agriculture after the 16th century. In Puebla and neighboring central highland states, it met the chile poblano, the thick-fleshed mild green chile that also defines chiles en nogada. Rajas con crema became a practical home and fonda preparation across central Mexico, and the potato version turns that same poblano technique into a filling, economical side dish.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
waxy potatoes
Quantity
1 1/2 pounds
peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
fresh chile poblano
Quantity
4 large
pork lard (manteca de cerdo)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
white onion
Quantity
1 medium
thinly sliced
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
finely chopped
fresh corn kernels or thawed frozen corn
Quantity
1 cup
kosher salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Mexican crema
Quantity
1/2 cup
queso fresco (optional)
Quantity
1/4 cup
crumbled
warm corn tortillas (optional)
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| waxy potatoespeeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes | 1 1/2 pounds |
| fresh chile poblano | 4 large |
| pork lard (manteca de cerdo) | 2 tablespoons |
| white onionthinly sliced | 1 medium |
| garlic clovesfinely chopped | 2 |
| fresh corn kernels or thawed frozen corn | 1 cup |
| kosher salt | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Mexican crema | 1/2 cup |
| queso fresco (optional)crumbled | 1/4 cup |
| warm corn tortillas (optional) | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Cast iron comal or open gas flame for roasting poblanos
- •Wide skillet or medium clay cazuela
- •Sharp knife for cutting clean rajas
- •Clean kitchen towel or bowl cover for sweating chiles
Instructions
- 1
Roast the poblanos
Place the chile poblano directly over a gas flame or on a hot dry comal. Turn them until the skins blister and blacken in patches on all sides. You are roasting the skin, not cooking the chile to mush. Put them in a bowl and cover for 10 minutes so the skins loosen.
- 2
Peel and slice
Peel off the loosened skins with your fingers. Do not rinse the chiles under water. That washes away the roasted flavor you just worked for. Remove the stems and seeds, then slice the flesh into 1/2-inch strips. These are your rajas.
- 3
Parcook the potatoes
Put the diced potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and add a good pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender at the edges but still hold their shape. Drain well. Wet potatoes do not brown. Let them sit in the colander for a few minutes.
- 4
Brown the potatoes
Heat the manteca in a wide skillet or clay cazuela over medium heat. Add the drained potatoes in an even layer and let them brown before you start moving them around. Give them 6 to 8 minutes, turning once or twice, until the edges are golden. No me vengas con atajos. Pale potatoes taste boiled.
- 5
Cook the onion
Add the sliced white onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until it softens and turns sweet at the edges. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, just until it smells sharp and warm. Garlic burns fast, and burned garlic takes over the whole pan.
- 6
Add rajas and corn
Stir in the poblano rajas, corn, salt, and black pepper. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, until the corn brightens and the rajas soften into the potatoes. The pan should smell roasted, sweet, and a little grassy from the poblano.
- 7
Finish with crema
Lower the heat. Stir in the Mexican crema and cook 1 to 2 minutes, just until it coats the potatoes and gathers lightly at the edges of the pan. Do not boil it hard or it can split. Taste for salt. If using queso fresco, scatter it over the top right before serving.
- 8
Serve warm
Serve in the cazuela with warm corn tortillas on the side. It works as a side dish with eggs, beans, or grilled meat, and it makes a serious taco filling. This is weeknight food, but it still has rules. Así se hace y punto.
Chef Tips
- •Choose poblanos that are heavy, glossy, and dark green. Wrinkled poblanos have been sitting too long and will taste tired. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
- •Use Mexican crema, not sour cream. Sour cream is thicker and sharper. Crema should loosen into the potatoes and carry the roasted poblano flavor.
- •Fresh corn is best in late summer. If the ears at the market look dry, use good frozen corn instead. Mexican grandmothers cook with what is in front of them, not with fantasy produce.
- •If you cannot use lard, use a neutral oil and understand the compromise. The potatoes will brown, but they will not have the same depth. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
Advance Preparation
- •The poblanos can be roasted, peeled, and sliced one day ahead. Keep them covered in the refrigerator with their juices.
- •The potatoes can be parcooked up to 6 hours ahead. Cool them completely before refrigerating so they brown instead of steaming in the skillet.
- •Leftovers keep for 3 days refrigerated. Reheat gently in a skillet with a spoonful of crema or water to loosen the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 310g)
Calories
385 calories
Total Fat
13 g
Saturated Fat
6 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
7 g
Cholesterol
25 mg
Sodium
380 mg
Total Carbohydrates
59 g
Dietary Fiber
8 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
9 g
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