Shiitake Mushroom and Potato Enchiladas

Source:  Real Simple Magazine

1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms

2 T olive oil

1 white onion chopped

1 large russet potato --peeled and diced into quarter inch pieces

1 c frozen corn, thawed

2 c shredded cheese

14 oz can of green enchilada sauce

8 corn tortillas warmed

fresh cilantro for serving

Heat oven to 400 F.  Combine the mushrooms and 2 c boiling water in a small bowl, and let sit until softened, 20 to 30 minutes.   Remove the mushrooms and chop, reserve the soaking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and potato and cook, tossing often, until the potato begins to soften, 6-8 minutes.  Add the corn, 1 cup of the soaking liquid, 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper.  Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 6-8 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl, and stir in 1 cup of the cheese.

Spread 1/2 c of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Dividing evenly, roll up the mushroom mixture in the tortillas and place seam-side down the the dish.  Top with the remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted, 12- 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with the cilantro.

I chose this recipe, well, b/c it sounded really good.

This was a fairly easy recipe to make.  There was some chopping involved, but that's par for the course.  The filling took a bit longer to cook than the recipe indicated.  Also, the green enchilada sauce came in a 10 ounce can -- so I used salsa verde to make up the 14 ounces.  In fact, I probably used a little extra, b/c I only had a few spoonfuls left in the jar.  Word to the wise - don't skip the step of warming up the tortillas -- they crack if you try to fold them up cold.  After I filled the 8 tortillas as the recipe suggested, I had enough filling left over to fill 3-4 more (but I didn't have room left in the pan) -- so keep that in mind when planning.

It's a delicious dish, and a slightly different twist on your standard Mexican fare.  The shiitake are savory and very umami, while the corn adds little bursts of sweetness.  The mellowness and earthiness of the filling is nicely balanced out the slight zing of the enchilada sauce.  Delicious, highly recommend.