Papas con Chile {Crispy Potatoes in Red Sauce}

Papas con Chile is a simple, delicious vegan and gluten-free dish made with crispy fried potatoes cooked in a fresh tomato sauce with jalapeños.  Enjoy as a side for breakfast or stuffed into tacos.

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Don’t we all just love a good multi-purpose dish? One that has a few simple ingredients but also surprisingly delicious?

My tolerance for meal time has been extraordinarily low lately, so the beauty of a savory dish of slightly spicy potatoes that goes just as well with eggs for breakfast as it does as a side dish with a plate of albóndigas for dinner is worth celebrating.

The lovely thing about these potatoes is how the two elements combine to make something greater than its separate parts.

That being said, I also love this salsa on it’s own.

It’s like a blended version of pico de gallo. So clean and simple and full of bright veggie flavor.

I usually double the salsa amount and save half to dip, spoon, and slather over everything for the rest of the week.

what’s in these papas con chile?

• Potatoes. I prefer Yukon gold potatoes for their creamy texture.
• Sunflower, or other neutral oil, like grapeseed or avocado oil.
• Fresh tomatoes if they are lovely and ripe. If not, half of a 15-ounce can of chopped tomatoes is a good substitute.
• Red onion
• Garlic
• Jalapeños
• Cilantro
• Fresh squeezed lime juice
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic chives or scallions (for garnish)

how to make papas con chile

Fry the potatoes. Peel and cut creamy Yukon gold potatoes and let them fry in hot oil until lightly browned and fork tender.

Make the salsa. Combine all the ingredients for the salsa in the blender and puree until smooth.

Add the sauce to the potatoes. Once the potatoes are tender, add the chile sauce and let the sauce fry until fragrant and slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Garnish. Sprinkle with thinly sliced garlic chives, scallions, and/or red onions.

Even easier? Mely Martinez from Mexico in My Kitchen has an even easier version of Mexican Potatoes where all the ingredients are simply combined in the frying pan if you want to check that one out.

the best way to fry potatoes

Pan-frying potatoes in oil takes a bit of finesse and technique so you don’t end up with a sticky, mushy mess.

There’s a few tricks to getting perfectly crisp and tender potatoes without them sticking to the bottom of the pan.

First of all make sure the oil is hot before you add the potatoes.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Test to see if it is ready by adding one piece of potato.

If it is immediately covered in bubbles, it is ready for frying. If not, give it another minute to heat up then try again.

Next, add your potatoes and spread them into an even layer in the pan. Then leave them alone.

Let them cook for a few minutes. They are ready to stir when they easily move around in the pan.

If they are sticking, they are not cooked enough yet.

Stir them only once or twice to get them evenly browned. They are ready when a fork easily goes into a piece of potato.

ways to enjoy

Papas con chile is obviously one of our favorite side dishes that we enjoy for breakfast or dinner.

Breakfast

• With fried or scrambled eggs and tortillas.
• Mix with cooked homemade chorizo.
• Stuffed inside a breakfast burrito.

Dinner

• Stuff inside gorditas.
• Roll up as vegetarian enchiladas.
• Turn into a Spanish tortilla.
• Serve as a side with stuffed pork chops, grilled shrimp and steak kebabs, or Cuban grilled chicken.

is it spicy?

No, not really. Once the sauce is fried in the oil and mixed with the potatoes it tames any heat quite nicely.

If you are super sensitive to heat, remove the seeds and white ribs from the jalapeños before blending them in the salsa.

If you want more heat, add another jalapeno or two and make sure to leave in the seeds.

more mexican food side dishes to try!

• Calabacitas
• Vegan Refried Beans
• Cilantro-Lime Sweet Corn
• The Best Ever Canned Black Beans
• Roasted Mexican Street Carrots
• Crock Pot Borracho Beans
• Coconut Cilantro Rice

are you ready to give these potatoes a try?

I hope I’ve given you the inspiration to add this simple and delicious side dish to your table this week. When you do please let me know by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) !

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