The Dinner Files

Isn’t that a great name for a restaurant? It lets you know you do not need a tie, for example. We waited a lllooonnnnnngggg time last night to eat our dinner there. While we waited I downed one of the best margaritas I’ve had in a long time along with bright and spicy salsa and smooth and flavorful guacamole, which all really hit the spot after a day of travel – first flying to Denver for the third time in 8 days (hello Concourse B!), then on to Albuquerque, then the drive up to Santa Fe. Why are we here? It’s spring break. We’ve never been. And we’re eventually going to make our way down to Marfa, Texas to see art and and lots of space and sky. Carlsbad Caverns, Roswell, and plenty of more space will occupy us on the way. And, of course, I’m hoping to eat plenty of chile-laced delights.

The Shed. It came highly recommended by locals. It did not disappoint. The best thing was some green chile stew, a cup of which my dashing husband and I shared to start. My red chile smothered enchiladas with a side of posole were pleasantly bitter from the chiles, which made the bits of onion taste sweet, and I ate the whole plate full of them, which is something I don’t usually do at restaurants.

Wow. That was easier than I thought it would be. Yes, the enchiladas, I guess, but really the presidential election. The polls closed, the race was called, one candidate conceeded, another candidate accepted, and it seems like everyone I know has spent the day straddling joy and disbelief.

We listened and watched returns and drank wine and sat around smiling and gorged a bit on these enchiladas. Considering they were made entirely with stuff I had sitting around the house… well, you wouldn’t guess that by how they taste.

Mushroom potato chile enchiladas

1 oz. dried wild mushrooms

1/2 lb. mushrooms, stems finely chopped and caps sliced

1/2 pound mild green chiles, roasted, peeled, and chopped

1 lb. potatoes, scrubbed cleaned and cut into 1/4-inch dice

9 corn tortillas

Vegetable oil

Salt

1 recipe Enchilada sauce (below)

About 8 oz. queso fresco

Soak dried mushrooms in 1 cup boiling water for about half and hour. Lift them out and chop them up. Reserve the soaking liquid. In a large frying pan over high heat drizzle a bit of oil and cook the fresh and dried mushrooms, stirring as much as you care to, until they’ve released all their liquid and that liquid is mostly evaporated. Add potatoes and chiles and about 1/2 tsp. salt and stir it all up. Pour in reserved mushroom-soaking liquid, cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 375. In a frying pan over medium heat heat about 1/4 inch of oil. Fry tortillas just to soften them, about 10 seconds each. Lay a softened tortilla flat, spread about 1/9 of the vegetable mixture down the center, roll it up and place in a large oiled baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. 

Pour sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbling and enchiladas are heated through, about 20 minutes.

Enchilada Sauce

Remove stems and seeds from 2 oz. each dried pasilla negro chiles and dried ancho chiles in 2 cups boiling water (or more to cover) for about half an hour. Lift chiles out of water (reserve liquid) and put in a blender. Add 1 can (about 14 oz.) canned tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. salt, and about 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid. Whirl until smooth and creamy. Add more soaking liquid to get a pourable sauce, if necessary. Taste and add more salt if you like.