Potato & Chorizo Casserole with Jalapeños

This is one of my favorite casseroles because it's one dish, fast to put together, and a real crowd pleaser.  The Jalapeños enhance the flavor the sausage and potatoes without overpowering them with spice.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of potatoes
1½ pounds of chorizo (or other favorite spicy sausage) 
1 medium red onion
1 medium yellow onion
1 - 5½ ounce can of pickled "Malher* Chili Jalapeño" halves in brine (Depending on your tolerance for hot and spicy, you may want to try this the first time with just a ½ can and work your way up.)
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Wash potatoes and cut up into 1 to 2 inch chunks. Slice onion into ½ inch slices and then quarter each slice. Slice the chorizo into 1 inch chunks. Toss everything with seasoning salt in olive oil and place in a baking dish. Pour the brine from the Jalapeño over the potatoes and onions. Remove any stems on the Jalapeño halves and slice each half in thin strips lengthwise and toss them with the chorizo, potatoes & onions. Cover and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove cover, top with cheese and return it to the oven for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are done and cheese is toasted. Serve

* The Malher brand of Jalapeño chili peppers are found everywhere in Costa Rica, but they are hard to find in the States. These peppers are milder Jalapeños than what you'll find in most of the grocery stores Stateside. This particular brand will enhance the flavor of any food and not over power it. If you can't find the Malher brand, you will need to adjust the amount of brine and Jalapeños to suit your taste.

Sausage

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Corny Jalapeño Skillet Corn Bread

Lately I've been hungry for some good old fashioned corn bread.  Before we moved to Costa Rica, I would cheat and make Corny Jalapeño Corn Bread in my cast iron skillet with 2 boxes of Jiffy Corn Bread Mix, some Jalapeño peppers and canned corn.  Guess what.... there is no Jiffy Corn Bread Mix on the grocery store shelves in Costa Rica.  I searched for recipes on the internet and finally found a couple of recipes I could use as a base.  I cobbled them together and this is the final recipe I came up with.  John loves it, says it's the best yet, and I'm happy to share it with you.

Ingredients: (makes 1 large 9”-10” skillet)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1+1/3 cups cornmeal, preferably stone-ground (you can use Polenta in Costa Rica)
• 1 or 2 fresh Jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely minced. (If you use pickled Jalapeños you will need more, and they should be finely chopped)
• 1 cup canned corn kernels
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1+1/4 cups milk (a little bit more or less; enough to make cake like batter)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted or any good cooking oil

A cast iron skillet (if you do not have one, use a thick bottomed oven proof skillet

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400° F.

In a bowl, sift the all purpose flour with baking powder, black pepper and salt. Stir in the cornmeal.

In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, butter, honey and eggs. Add the melted butter and stir just until blended. Add the corn and jalapeño peppers.

Gradually stir in the dry flour mixture.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the cast iron skillet and heat the skillet over the stove top or in the oven until the oil shimmers and is really hot. Remove skillet from the stove top or the oven and pour the batter into the hot skillet. When the batter is added to the hot skillet, it will sizzle loudly.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 25-35 minutes, or until the center springs back when gently pressed and a toothpick comes out clean. The cornbread should be golden brown and crispy on the edges.

Cooking Time: Approx. 30 minutes

Side Dish

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