Green Chile Relleno Latkes

From Joan Nathan’s King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration Of Jewish Cooking From Around The World (Forthcoming from Alfred P. Knopf April 4, 2017)

Yield: 12 latkes

12 whole green chilies, such as Anaheim, Poblano, or Hatch 12 ounces (340 grams) white cheddar or Jack cheese, sliced widthwise into 12 short pieces 2 pounds (1.11 kilos) russet or baking potatoes (about 3 large), peeled 1 medium , peeled 2 large eggs ½ to ½ (30 to 55 grams) panko or regular breadcrumbs or meal Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Vegetable or grape-seed oil for frying

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Put the whole chiles on the baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes to an hour, flipping every 20 minutes, until the chiles are blackened all over. Let cool and then remove the stems and skin from each chili, leaving them as intact as possible. Then cut a slit almost the full length of each chili and carefully pull out the seeds. Put a piece of cheese inside each chili. 2. While the chiles are roasting, make the latkes, keeping the potatoes in cold water until ready to grate them. 3. Starting with the , alternatively grate some of the onions in a food processor fitted with a steel blade or on the large holes of a box grater and some of he potatoes on the smallest. (Doing it in this order will keep the mixture from blackening.) When you have finished, put the potato and onion mixture into a clean dishtowel and squeeze out the water into a medium bowl, allowing the potato starch to settle at the bottom. Carefully pour off the water, but leave the potato starch at the bottom of the bowl. 4. Once the liquid has been drained, put the potato mixture back in the bowl with the potato starch that has accumulated in the bottom. Add the egg, the breadcrumbs or matzo meal, and salt and pepper to taste and mix well. 5. Heat an inch of oil in a frying pan. Drop about 2 heaping tablespoons of mixture for each latke into the skillet and fry for a few minutes, turning once. You should have 12 latkes. When golden and crisp on both sides, drain on paper towels. 6. After both sides are browned, gently lay a stuffed chili on top of each latke and carefully flip the latke over so that the chili is face down. 7. Fry for a few minutes more until the cheese is melted and slightly crisped in spots. Drain, latke side down, on paper towel-lined baking sheets and then serve immediately. 8. Top with a dollop of sour cream and drizzle with a New Mexico red chili sauce or Yemenite .