Beef and Potato Enchiladas

    Something I haven't made in a really long time is enchiladas.  The night before I had used half of the ground beef we had to make meatballs, and I wanted to use up the other half tonight.  We've also had potatoes laying around, so I decided to incorporate them into the filling.  This is similar to a Mexican street taco, so I figured, why not?  I was also kinda lazy today and didn't feel like making my own enchilada sauce.  I opted for the jar of salsa verde we had in the cabinet.  Typically salsa verde is used with chicken, but it's okay to step outside of the box once in a while.  Plus, my kitchen, my rules, right?  Haha!  And they turned out really well!

    As usual I prepared to versions of the enchiladas, one dairy free and the other with dairy.  All that means is the choice of cheese I used to roll and top them.  

Recipe yields 5 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 lbs. ground beef
• 2 tsp. each of chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin
• salt and pepper
• 4 large baking potatoes, baked and diced
• 1/2 large red onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 8-12 flour tortillas
• shredded cheese, regular and/or dairy free
• 1 12 oz. jar salsa verde
• Toppings: cilantro, sour cream, diced tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole

Directions:

1. Place 4 large baking potatoes into an oven safe dish.  Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Prick all around the potatoes with a fork.  Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.  Check tenderness of the potatoes.  A fork or knife should easily pierce the potatoes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before dicing.
2. Add olive oil to a large skillet on medium high heat.  Add ground beef.  Add seasonings including salt and pepper.  Brown the meat.  Add onions and jalapeño.  Mix well.  Cook about 3 minutes.  Add diced potatoes.  Combine well allowing the potatoes to soak up the seasonings from the pan.  Adjust salt and pepper as needed.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare two baking dishes if making some dairy free.  Spray bottom with cooking spray to prevent any sticking of the tortillas.
4. Spread 1 large spoonful of salsa on the bottoms of the baking dishes.
5. Spoon meat mixture (about 1 1/2 spoonfuls) onto tortillas.  Top with with a little cheese.  Roll and place seam side down into baking dishes.  You will be able to fit 8-10 tortillas into a large baking dish.  I use a smaller baking dish for the dairy free since I don't need as many.  
6. Top tortillas with remaining salsa, spread out evenly, and more cheese.
7. Bake for 25 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and turning brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!!

Full dairy version pictured