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When I was a child my mom would always allow me choose the meal to be served ay my birthday parties. Since I knew that the meal I chose would be cooked by my mom I always asked for her Enchiladas Placeras.

Enchiladas Placeras, which are potato enchiladas, are the enchiladas you will find all over Guanajuato, Mexico. On rare occasions, you will also find some enchiladas made with chicken and salsa verde but these are the enchiladas you will find in my part of Mexico. To be honest I didn’t know what cheese enchiladas drenched in sauce were until I came to the United States; must I say I was I disappointed.

So without further-a-do here is the recipe for my favorite Enchiladas Placeras:

Yields: approximately 10 enchiladas

Ingredients for guajillo sauce:
6 chiles guajillos
2 garlic
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup of chiles boiling liquid

Ingredients for stuffing:
10 corn tortillas
2 large potatoes or 4 small (I prefer yellow potatoes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons of corn oil

Ingredients for garnishing salad:
1 vine ripe tomato, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped cabbage
1 lime
Salt to taste

Toppings:
Salsa de Jitomate
Crema Agria

Before we get started I must state this: please do not substitute any of the ingredients as you will loose the unique flavor (specially in the corn tortillas as opposed to flour tortillas)

- First, mix your diced tomatoes, onions, and cabbage in a bowl. Add the juice of 1 lime and salt to taste. Set aside and allow lime to pickle the ingredients while you cook.
- Remove all stems from guajillo chiles. Open up and remove all seeds and veins while cutting up into pieces with your hands.
- Boil about 1 quart of water and add the dried chiles. Hydrate for about 5-7 minutes and remove from heat.
- Place all chiles in blender and add garlic, cumin, black pepper, salt, and liquid from the chiles. Blend until very smooth.
- Once sauce is very smooth, strain in a fine mesh strainer to remove all chile skins.
- While creating the guajillo sauce, boil your potatoes, with the skin, in water until fully cooked.
- Once potatoes are cooked, remove skins, add salt, and smash like mashed potatoes. Consistency should be soft and fluffy.
- Heat your tortillas in a skillet, comal, or direct heat, however you prefer. Make sure not to steam them as you want them to be a bit tough. Otherwise, your tortillas will break when in oil.
- In a deep skillet or wok (yes we have wok like pans in Mexico made from both metal and terracotta, they are called Cazos) heat about 2 tablespoons of corn oil. Leaving the other 2 tablespoons for replenishing the oil as you cook. There should only be enough oil to coat the bottom of the wok.
- Dip one tortilla at a time into the guajillo sauce, making sure to coat both sides evenly.

- Gently place the tortilla with sauce in the wok with oil and allow it to fry for about 10 seconds. Flip the tortilla with a spatula (don’t use tongs) and fry the second side for another 10 seconds. Remember, you are not deep frying the tortilla you are just allowing it to touch the oil gently to adhere the sauce and change the flavor.

- Remove the tortilla and place in a plate. Fill the tortilla with the mashed potatoes and roll tightly but gently.
- Continue doing this until you have completed all 10 enchiladas.
*HINT* I find it easier to make all the tortillas first, place them one on top of the other as you gently fry them, and then stuff them one by one. It’s also much faster.
- Once you have your tortillas you can plate them as you wish using making sure to add the garnishing salad, salsa de Jitomate, and crema agria. If you would like to use sour cream instead of Mexican crema agria, I would suggest that you dilute it with a touch of whole milk and add some salt to it first.

Enjoy!

Feel free to post your comments or questions.