Make Ahead

Deborah Madison's Potato and Green Chile Stew

September  2, 2014
4.6
9 Ratings
Photo by Alpha Smoot
  • Serves 1 to 2
Author Notes

Deborah Madison's Potato and Green Chile Stew is a dinner for easing out of our summer clothes and settling into fall -- a one-pot meal unusual in that it doesn't simmer very long and is easily made vegetarian or vegan, but is still hearty enough that it can truly be the only thing you eat (and the only pot you dirty) tonight. Adapted slightly from What We Eat When We Eat Alone (Gibbs Smith, 2009). —Genius Recipes

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Ingredients
  • 1 or 2 long green chiles or poblano chiles, roasted and peeled
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower seed oil or other vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 large russet or 5 smaller potatoes (a scant pound) peeled and chopped into 1 1/2-inch chunks
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup chicken stock or water
  • Sour cream (or Greek yogurt) to finish
  • Chopped cilantro to finish
Directions
  1. Chop the chiles coarsely. Heat the oil in a wide pot; add the onion and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, garlic, and potatoes, followed by the chile, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and give a stir. Cook together of a few minutes, then add the water or stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
  2. Cook and cover until the potatoes are completely softened, about 25 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. At this point you can mash the potatoes, or at least a few of them to give the dish a creamy sort of background, if desired.
  3. Pour into a bowl; add a dollop of sour cream and the chopped cilantro.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

37 Reviews

txchick57 October 27, 2023
Came here to get this recipe and bombarded with ads for what I "need" - i.e. over priced bowls and useless items none of which are needed. The hard sell on this site has beome so obnoxious I don't even want tol look at it anymore. I', sure your PE investors are getting anxious to monetise this accquisition but I don't care to contribute. I have bought more than a few things I've seen here over the years but never from this site. It's just another expensive e-commerce venue and no longer a place for good food comtent and community. Bye.
kadie February 23, 2023
An absolute keeper! If you're considering making it, I'd encourage you to go for it!
moody B. October 7, 2018
Yum! I double the amount of chiles and add diced tomatoes along with the broth.
AHW February 22, 2018
This is one of my all time favorite recipes! I love this soup! My family loves this soup! Making it today and adding pulled roasted chicken for my sick kid. Absolutely Genius!
Taylor S. January 4, 2018
Simple but incredible, just like all of DM's recipes :)
Claudia December 1, 2017
This is recipe is absolutely fantastic. I used 1.5 kilos of potatoes, 2 large onions, 5 clove of garlic, quintupled the amount of spices, 5 cups of (vegetable) broth, and a mix of charred hot and mild green peppers. Then pureed half of the soup when the potatoes were tender. This made enough for a family of 7, and from now on will be a part of our regular soup rotation. Thank you for this brilliant recipe.
Catcook February 11, 2017
What a brilliant way to spice up potatoes! It sounds sooo good
bottomsupranch December 3, 2016
This is EXCELLENT! Puree'd it for a creamy soup. It was so good for dinner last night I'm having it for breakfast with a poached egg on top drizzled with a tad truffle oil. YUM!
TERRYE H. November 29, 2016
The Shed on the plaza in Santa Fe has been serving this (sans sour cream) with crusty garlic toast for over 30 years. I fell in love with it in 1985.
FoodFreak October 4, 2015
I find that poblanos vary in how much heat they pack. Mine made a spicier soup that I wanted, I added a cup of beans to cool it down..
chefbonandee September 8, 2015
For some reason the usual Labor Day fare just wasnt doing it for me today. I knew Food52 wouldn't let me down! My modifications:
tripling the recipe, using hatch chiles (no pablanos at the store), 1 onion and 1 shallot, added leftover shredded rotisserie chicken, and garnished with green onion (instead of cilantro), Greek yogurt, and a squeeze of lime. It was SO GOOD. I'm excited for the leftovers! This recipe is a keeper.
detroitdiane February 4, 2015
This is amazing, so much greater than the sum of its parts, and so simple to make. Didn't even need the sour cream. I made a double batch...so glad I did. YUM!
Hollie O. January 27, 2015
Made this last night with some jalapeno sausage. Definitely a keeper!
Clover88 January 25, 2015
So easy and delicious. I'm going to make this a regular meal in my rotation!
Jeri January 12, 2015
This is my favorite soup. I've made it approx one time a week since finding the recipe, sometimes add chicken, regardless the soup is so good... best soup ever.
LeeLeeBee January 5, 2015
This recipe exceeded my expectations - it was so flavorful. I tripled the recipe, which made enough for about 6 servings. To roast the peppers, I put them under the broiler until charred (approximately 7 - 10 minutes per side), then slid them into a bowl and tightly covered the top with plastic wrap. I let them "steam" for about 15 minutes and then peeled off the skin, removing the seeds and membranes.
cindy November 28, 2014
Total Comfort Food ! I used 2 large poblanos, a 1.5 lb bag of small golden, red and purple potatoes, did not peel, just quartered... increased the stock, garlic and onion by 1/2. Perfect. It is a GENIUS RECIPE
cindy November 28, 2014
And I used vegetable stock. Fabulous.
maxypunx November 19, 2014
Delicious! I doubled everything except the onion. Also, I used the immersion blender to make it a bit creamier, but i left some big pieces of potato as well. The sour cream and lots of cilantro were the perfect finishing touches. I had some leftover and it kept perfectly. thank you Food 52!
Petite F. September 24, 2014
Simple, awesome and hearty soup! Made with vegetable broth and purple potatoes.

Thanks for sharing...
Barbara G. September 15, 2014
Oh my gosh...yes! Here is what I and friends do: if you are roasting your own peppers, put them under the broiler and turn until charred all over. Put in bowl covered with plastic wrap or put in small paper bag and seal. When cool, remove the skin and scrape out the seeds. If you break off the top, hardened part of the pepper, most of the seeds are up there in a clump. Then, rinse the peppers off and dab dry. The seeds are the hottest part of the chile and you probably do not want them! Maybe a few...? :)