Potato & Black Bean Flautas

If you are like me and completely clueless about Mexican cuisine outside of the basic burritos, tacos and enchiladoes, then you probably do not know what a "flauta" is! I educated myself a little on this deep fried wonder and found out that it's quite simple. I discovered that it is similar to a "taquito" in that it is deep-fried, flute-shaped and stuffed with pretty much anything you like. The only difference is that a flauta is normally made with flour tortillas while the taquito is made with corn tortillas. This recipe was revised to fit a healthier lifestyle. I oven baked the flautas instead of deep frying. The whole idea for this recipe experiment came when I was watching Guy Fieri make his "Confetti Mashed Potato Flautas" on Food Network. I revised the recipe a little so here is my version ...

First, I made the mashed potato mixture. Boil one medium potato with 2 cloves of garlic for about 30 minutes. Drain and when cool enough to handle, peel and mash the potatoes. Also, add 2 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup green onions, 1/4 cup diced jalapenos, few dashes of hot sauce, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Mix together and keep aside.

While the potato was boiling, I started to make the black bean mixture. Sautee 1/2 diced onion with 1 tsp garlic paste. Add 1/4 cup defrosted corn 1 can of drained black beans next. Mix well and add salt. Finally, add 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro. When cool, mash the mixture and keep aside.

Third, make the tomatilla salsa. Remove the husks of 3 tomatillas and chop them up. Sautee 1/4 cup green onions in oil. Add 2 cloves garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Next, add salt and 2 jalapenos, deseeded and diced. Cook for a few minutes. Then, add the chopped tomatillas with 1/4 cup water and cook for 10 minutes. Add the 1 tsp lime juice as well as 2 tbsp chopped cilantro last. When cool, puree the salsa with a hand blender. Keep aside.

The fourth step requires fire roasting 2 red jalapeno peppers. I put a wire rack directly on the fire. Roast the peppers until charred on all sides. Remove from heat and let cool. Deseed the pepper and dice into thin strips. Keep aside.

Finally, assemble your flautas. You will need the above potato and black bean mixtures, roasted peppers, corn tortillas, and a few toothpicks by your side. Spray some cooking spray on a baking sheet and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat the corn tortillas in the microwave, three at a time, for about 30 seconds. On one end of the tortilla, layer a thin layer of the potato first, then the black beans topped with two strips of the roasted peppers. Roll up your flauta tightly and secure with a toothpick, Lay the flap side down on the baking sheet and roll up the remaining flautas. Bake in the oven for about 6-8 minutes. Remove the toothpicks and cut the flauta in half at a diagonal.

To serve, I assembled the flauta like so: Place 4 tbsp of the tomatilla salsa down on the plate. Place one half of the flauta down and the other half standing up at a diagonal, exposing the stuffing of the flauta. Sprinkle any cheese of your choice as well as a handful of chopped green onions.

Now, I must admit that this was more work that I thought it was going to be. It looked real easy to make on the television! The flavors were wonderful, though. The only thing I would change the next time around would be to use flour tortillas instead of corn. Otherwise, it was a nice change from the burrito and taco nights!