Ingredients

The following ingredients have 9 Servings
  • 3 lbs waxy gold potatoes, peeled into 1/8 inch slices (keep skins on)
  • 1/2 cup (80g) diced white onion
  • 4 large cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 cups (480g) water
  • 1 1/2 cups (225g) raw cashews, soaked overnight if you don't have a Vitamix
  • 1 1/2 cups (360g) MILD smooth/pourable salsa, I used the Arriba brand Fire Roasted Red Salsa and it was PERFECT (see NOTE)
  • 2 tablespoons (30g) tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) salt (extra for seasoning potatoes)
  • Using a mild salsa serves 2 purposes, makes it a very mild heat, so that kids can happily eat it. I tried a version with medium heat and my daughter complained the whole time it was too spicy. Mild salsa also leaves a cheesy taste withOUT it screaming salsa. It works AMAZING for a cheesy taste here in the finished dish.
  • I use this scale.

Instruction

  • If you don't have a Vitamix, you will need to soak your cashews overnight in a bowl of warm water, drain and rinse. Otherwise, your cheese sauce will be gritty.
  • When slicing your potatoes, it's very important to slice them 1/8 inch thick and all of them the same size, so that they cook evenly. You don't want some mushy and some crunchy potatoes.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray a 9x13 dish with nonstick spray. If you don't spray it, the potatoes will stick pretty bad.
  • To a small pan, add the onion and garlic and 3 tablespoons (45g) water over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-8 minutes until tender, stirring often and all the water should be gone.
  • To the blender, add the 2 cups water, cashews, cooked onion mixture, salsa, tomato paste, paprika, dry mustard and salt. Blend for several minutes until 100% creamy and smooth, it should not be gritty at all. It will be really runny. But don't you worry my friends, all that saucy goodness turns into magic when it bakes for an hour! It turns super creamy and thickens up like a champ. Don't judge the finished dish by the sauce at this stage.
  • To the casserole dish, pour a thin layer just enough to cover the bottom of the dish with the cheese sauce. Watch the video to see visual. It's important to pour just enough to cover the bottom and not too much, so that you will have enough to pour in between each potato layer AND cover the top. Refer to my video above for a visual, as this will help you.
  • Place the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle salt over the potatoes. This is important to lightly salt EACH LAYER of potatoes so they are flavored in the end dish. The sauce has salt, yes, but the amount of potatoes in this need seasoning too, so they additionally have enough flavor. Pour another thin layer of the cheese sauce of the potatoes and use a brush to spread out. Repeat with another layer of potatoes, cheese sauce and then with the last amount of potatoes, scatter around the top and pour the remaining cheese sauce on top, brushing to cover each potato and nook and cranny well.
  • Cover with foil and bake on the center rack for 45 minutes. Remove the foil carefully, as the steam is super hot, and bake uncovered for 20 more minutes. Mine were perfectly done and tender after the 20 minutes, but check a few potatoes to make sure they are fork tender, taste for best results. If needed, bake another few minutes. This may vary per oven, but all 3 batches I did worked this timing.
  • Serve and garnish with dried parsley flakes if desired. I prefer the taste of dry parsley. But green onions would also be delicious. These reheat very well too.