Description
These turkey enchiladas with sweet potatoes and a chipotle sauce are perfect for Thanksgiving and really any day of the week!
Ingredients
1 lb leftover turkey, light or dark, shredded, or fresh turkey or chicken poached
4 t kosher salt (if poaching)
1 medium white onion peeled and quartered (if poaching)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (if poaching)
8 peppercorns (if poaching)
2 baked sweet potatoes, sliced into about 24 pieces
Chipotle Sauce:
2 1/2 lbs Roma tomatoes
2 T oil
1.2 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 t minced garlic
2 large chipotles en adobo, minced (These are a staple in my kitchen. You can find them in a can in the Mexican food aisle. Once opened they keep almost forever in a sealed container in your fridge.)
Kosher salt to taste
Garnishes:
1/2 c crema Mexicana or sour cream
1/2 lb anejo cheese or feta crumbled
Chopped Green Onion ( about 4)
12 corn tortillas
Instructions
If you want to poach turkey or chicken, start by filling a deep pot with three quarts of water, Add salt, onion and garlic, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, lower heat slightly, cover and let boil for about 15 minutes to infuse the water with seasoning. Add chicken or turkey pieces and allow the liquid to return to a boil. Immediately adjust heat to a simmer and cook until poultry is cooked. Dark meat may take longer than light meat. As the pieces are done, remove them from the pot, moisten with broth and allow to cool. When cool, shred into small pieces, discarding the skin and bones. Sprinkle with a little more broth and refrigerate if not using right away. (I used my leftover broth in split pea soup yesterday!)
To make the sauce:
Preheat oven to 350. Place the tomatoes in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet. Roast, turning occasionally until the skins begin to burst and the tomatoes are soft. This may take about 25 minutes. The place under a broiler for about 5 minutes to blacken the skin in spots. Let cool for a few minutes.
Place the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, but not brown, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and chipotles and cook for another minute.
Place the onion mixture and tomatoes in a blender and puree until smooth. Add salt to taste. The directions did say to puree, but I did not do this. My sauce was a bit thick so I added a little chicken broth to thin it. If using right away, pour back into the saucepan, cover and keep warm over medium low heat.
Assembly:
I warmed my tortillas wrapped in a moist paper towel in a microwave for about 20 seconds. The traditional way is to quickly fry them in about 1/2″ of oil over medium high heat so that tortillas soften. Drain and use. I buy my tortillas from a small Mexican grocery nearby and they are very fresh. I do not worry about them cracking when rolling and so I save the calories and use the micro!
Make sure all your ingredients are ready and near. Fill the lower third of the tortillas with about 2 T of warm turkey, a few sweet potato slices and roll up. Place on a serving plate in a single layer, cover with enchilada sauce, spread on some crema Mexicana and sprinkle with cheese and green onion. Serve and eat immediately. (If necessary, keep rolled enchiladas covered with chipotle sauce and cheese, covered with foil and keep warm in the oven, set at about 275.) When ready to serve, drizzle or spread with the crema and garnish with green onion.
