Poblano, Potato, and Corn Gratin

This is how we do Easter in the Southwest!  Grilled juicy flank steak and southwestern marinated shrimp with a side of hallelujah! (and by hallelujah I mean Poblano, Potato, and Corn Gratin - who ever said food couldn't be spiritual?)

Flank Steak and Shrimp with Poblano, Potato, and Corn Gratin

The gratin was amazing; a symphony of heavenly potatoes and cheese and a kick of spicy peppers to bring you back to earth and make you grab for a margarita!

The only way I really changed the recipe was by adding 2 jalapenos to the mix - my husband and I really like spicy food so I had to kick it up a bit.

Poblano and Jalapeno Peppers

Otherwise, very uncharacteristically of me I tried to follow the recipe exactly, even weighing out the 1 1/4 lb. of potatoes on a scale.

While I was making it, I was worried that there wouldn't be enough potatoes to make the full casserole so I rationed them a little too much and had a lot left at the end.  If you try this, trust the recipe!  It won't let you down!
 

Poblano, Potato, and Corn Gratin
From: Bon Appetit, April 2010

3 tsp. olive oil, divided
2 lg. fresh poblano (also called pasilla) peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into strips
1 1/4 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8" thick rounds
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 c. grated Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 c. half and half
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.  Rub 9 1/2" diameter deep dish pie dish or cast-iron skillet with 2 tsp. oil.  Heat remaining oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add peppers and saute until tender.  Remove from heat

Arrange 1/3 of potato rounds, overlapping slightly, 1/3 of peppers, 1/3 of corn, and 1/3 of cheese.  Repeat until casserole is complete, reserving the last 1/3 of the cheese.

Whisk half and half, flour, salt&pepper together and pour over potato mixture.  Press potatoes down to submerge.  Cover dish tightly with foil.  Bake 30 minutes.  Remove foil; sprinkle remaining cheese on and continue to bake until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden brown, about 25 minutes more.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.