Pepper Jack Potatoes Recipe

Name: Pepper Jack Potatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks; Salt; 4 ounces pepper jack cheese, thinly sliced and cut into strips (or you can use shredded); 1/2 cup cream

My father is a meat and potatoes person. And as such, you can almost always count on potatoes as part of the dinner meal at our home, most often boiled.

Usually I skip them (more for dad) in favor of something green. The other day though, my mother made a cheesy boiled potato dish that I couldn't stop eating.

The star ingredient? Jalapeño pepper jack cheese. Melty, stringy, spicy, peppery cheese.

Melt the cheese over russet or Yukon gold boiled potatoes and then douse with a little cream. Fabulous!

The only issue is that with russets especially, it's pretty easy to overcook the potatoes, making it harder for them to continue to hold their shape while they sit in their own heat waiting for the cheese to melt.

The first time I tried these following my mom's instructions, I took my eye off the pot and sure enough, the potatoes were falling apart. I made the recipe anyway, just mashed all the ingredients together and the potatoes were stunning that way too.

Since then I've made them with Yukon Golds which hold their shape better and are a little more forgiving on cook time.

Pepper Jack Potatoes

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Servings 4 servings

You can use either russets or Yukon gold for this dish. The russets are trickier to keep from overcooking, the Yukons hold their shape easier. If you end up overcooking the potatoes, mash them for pepper jack mashed potatoes.

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt
4 ounces pepper jack cheese, thinly sliced and cut into strips (or you can use shredded)
1/2 cup cream

Boil the potatoes:

Place peeled, cut potatoes into a 2 quart-sized pot. Cover with an inch of cold water. Add a tablespoon of salt to the water. Cover and bring to a boil. (Keep your eye on the potatoes, it's easy to overcook them.)

As soon as the water is boiling, uncover and boil for 6 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender enough so that you can insert a fork into them. The potatoes should be on the slightly underdone side.
Drain potatoes, cover with cheese:

Drain the potatoes and put them immediately into a serving bowl. Layer the cheese slices over them and put a plate over the bowl to cover, so that the steam from the potatoes melts the cheese.

Let sit for several minutes, then gently fold over with a spoon to spread the melted cheese around.
Add cream:

Pour cream over the potatoes and cover again until served.

If the potatoes are on the over-cooked side and fall apart as you toss them in the cheese, you can add the cream anyway and mash them for spicy, cheesy mashed potatoes. If the potatoes are still not quite cooked enough and the cheese is not quite melted enough, you can put them in a microwave for 20 seconds or so.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
365	Calories
20g	Fat
37g	Carbs
12g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	365
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g	25%
Saturated Fat 12g	62%
Cholesterol 59mg	20%
Sodium 340mg	15%
Total Carbohydrate 37g	13%
Dietary Fiber 4g	13%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 17mg	83%
Calcium 257mg	20%
Iron 2mg	12%
Potassium 961mg	20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.