I was stuck at home today, and just before leaving to walk out in the rain for a long, cold, wet trek to get some lunch, I decided to poke around and see what we had on hand. I knew we still had a few potatoes left from the CSA box, and when I spotted a can of tuna, something clicked in my mind and I remembered a recipe from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless that I had been wanting to try. The version in the book uses poblanos, but I knew the roasted hatch chilies sitting in my freezer would work just as well, if not better. The onions and shallots kept a lot of their crunch, and along with the chilies provided a nice contrast in texture to the soft potatoes. The tuna adds protein, but doesn’t overpower the other flavors in the dish. Hooray for having ingredients on hand — this potato salad kept me sated — and dry!

Obviously, I couldn’t discuss the deliciousness with Lisa, as she didn’t get to try it, but instead, I give you the following instant messenger transcript:

[1:36 PM] Chris: Guess what I had for lunch?
[1:40 PM] Lisa: Nothing?
[1:40 PM] Lisa: Water?
[1:41 PM] Chris: We had tuna, potatoes, shallots, and the hatch chilies in the freezer… I made that potato salad w/tuna from the Rick Bayless book!
[1:41 PM] Lisa: Yum!!!!!
[1:41 PM] Lisa: Are there leftovers???
[1:41 PM] Lisa: I want to try it!!!
[1:41 PM] Chris: Uh, no. Didn’t make a full recipe, sucka.
[1:41 PM] Lisa: Dammit!
[1:41 PM] Lisa: Bragger.
[1:42 PM] Lisa: I had a frozen dinner. *Boring*

Fascinating, I know! Hey, I do what I can.

Roasted Hatch Potato Salad with Tuna
2-3 roasted hatch chilies
2 medium (1/2 lb) Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2″ pieces
Salt
1/6 cup olive oil (2 tbsp + 2 tsp)
1/2 small red onion, sliced 1/8″ thick
1 large shallot, sliced 1/8″ thick
1 1/2 tbsp champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
One 6-oz can tuna, drained
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
Romaine, to serve (optional)

Put the cubed potatoes into a microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of salt. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for about 3 minutes, until completely tender. Leave covered.
Rub the blackened skin off the chilies and pull out the stems and seeds. Rinse to remove rogue seeds and skin, then cut into 1/4″ thick strips.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion and shallots are browned, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar, oregano, black pepper, and hatch chilies. Stir well, then add the potatoes to the pan. Set aside to cool; when at room temperature, add the parsley/cilantro and tuna.
Serve over optional Romaine lettuce leaf.

2 side-dish servings, or a large lunch