Jalapeño Popper Potato Casserole

Here’s what makes it a keeper:

• Six ingredients. Potatoes, bacon, pimento cheese, jalapeños, Monterey Jack, salt. That’s it.
• No peeling. Yukon Golds have such thin skins you can leave them right on.
• About an hour, start to finish, and most of that is hands-off.
• You control the heat. Two jalapeños gives you flavor with just a whisper of spice. Three brings the kick.
• Potluck-proof. It travels well, it reheats well, and it disappears fast.

This one started as a recipe I spotted on Allrecipes, and I made a few little changes along the way. I’d absolutely make it again.

From My Kitchen

I’ll be honest — this recipe caught my eye and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I saw it over on the Allrecipes website and the idea of taking that popular jalapeño popper appetizer and marrying it with potatoes just sounded so good to me. Sometimes you see a recipe and you just know.

Now, I have to tell you, we had entirely too much fun filming this one. Somewhere between cubing the potatoes and getting them in the pot, we got started on a tongue twister and could not quit. These are the particular potatoes that go with the popular poppers that Peter Piper picked. I finally got it out clean, and I was awfully proud of myself.

And all that silliness reminded me of something. When Darren and I were dating, there was a stretch of two or three weeks where we were apart, and he wrote me a letter every single day. One of those letters he wrote without using a single letter F. Every time an F showed up in a word, he just left it out. He slipped up exactly one time and put the F in, and then he owned up to it right there in the letter.

I still have those letters. And I’ll tell you what makes me a little sad — kids today aren’t going to have a shoebox of letters like that to pull out and read again. There’s something about having it in your hands.

So that’s the mood we were in while this casserole came together, and I think you can taste the fun in it. When we finally sat down with a plate, Darren said it was a winner, and I agreed. It’s a good one.

Jalapeño Popper Potato Casserole

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 55 minutes Servings: 10 Course: Side Dish Cuisine: Southern

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and cubed small (no need to peel)
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon (or 8 slices regular)
• 8 ounces Palmetto Cheese pimento cheese (about ⅓ of a 24-ounce tub)
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced, plus a few thin rings reserved for the top
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• ½ teaspoon salt, for the potato water
• ½ teaspoon salt, for the casserole

Instructions

1. Start your bacon. Lay the bacon on a sheet pan and bake at 350–375°F for about 12 to 15 minutes. Just keep an eye on it — regular bacon goes faster than thick-cut. When it’s done, set it on paper towels to drain.
2. Get your water going. Fill a big pot with water, add about a half teaspoon of salt, and set it over high heat. That salt in the water isn’t in the original recipe, but I want the potatoes soaking up a little flavor while they cook. Don’t skip it.
3. Cube the potatoes. Wash them well and cube them up fairly small — you don’t have to peel them. Yukon Gold skins are so thin and light they’ll cook right in and you’ll never think twice about them.
4. Boil until fork tender. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and let them go 14 to 16 minutes, until a fork slides in easy. If your pot is full like mine was, lay a wooden spoon across the top and it’ll keep it from boiling over onto your stove. Drain them well.
5. Prep the jalapeños. Cut the tops off and dice two of them up small. I’m leaving the seeds out — if you love the heat, leave some in. Before you dice, save a few thin rings from the top for the finish. And a word of caution: even if the peppers don’t bother your hands, don’t rub your eyes afterward. You’ll feel it.
6. Chop the bacon. Once it’s cool enough to handle you can crumble it with your hands, but if it’s still too hot, just run your knife through it. I like mine in bigger pieces.
7. Mix it all together. Use the same pot you boiled the potatoes in — no sense dirtying another dish. Add the warm potatoes, the diced jalapeños, the pimento cheese, the bacon, about 1½ cups of the Monterey Jack, and that second half teaspoon of salt. Stir it up. Because the potatoes are still hot, they’ll break down a little as you go. Not mashed potatoes exactly, but nice and creamy in between the chunks.
8. Into the dish. Spread it into a 9×13 casserole dish. If you’d rather have a thicker casserole, a slightly smaller dish works fine too.
9. Finish the top. Sprinkle the reserved ½ cup of Monterey Jack evenly over the top, then scatter those jalapeño rings across it. Those rings have all the seeds in them, so anybody who doesn’t want the heat can just eat around them — and anybody who does can grab a piece.
10. Bake. 375°F for about 20 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted and everything is hot through. Let it sit a minute before you serve — it comes out piping hot.

Mary Katherine’s Notes

• The original recipe calls for three jalapeños and pepper jack cheese. I went with two jalapeños and Monterey Jack because that suits our house better. You still get the flavor coming through without much heat. If you’re a heat lover, go with three and use pepper jack.
• The original also has you cook the bacon on the stove and sauté the jalapeños in the reserved grease for a minute or two. I skipped that step and it was just fine — the whole thing bakes anyway.
• Palmetto Cheese is a homestyle pimento cheese that has cream cheese right in it, and that’s what gives you the popper texture. A 24-ounce tub is what I buy, and you need about a third of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use regular pimento cheese instead of Palmetto Cheese? You sure can. Just look for one that’s made with cream cheese in it, because that’s what gives you the creamy popper texture. Homemade pimento cheese works beautifully too. If yours is on the thinner side, you may want to hold back a spoonful or two.

Do I have to peel the potatoes? Not with Yukon Golds. The skins are so thin and light they melt right into the casserole. If you’re using russets, I’d go ahead and peel those — the skins are heavier and you’ll notice them.

How spicy is this jalapeño popper potato casserole? With two seeded jalapeños, it’s very mild. You get the flavor of the pepper without much heat at all. If you want it to bite back, use three jalapeños, leave some of the seeds in, and swap the Monterey Jack for pepper jack.

Can I make this ahead of time? Yes. Mix everything and get it in the dish, cover it, and hold it in the fridge for up to a day. Let it sit out about 30 minutes before it goes in the oven, and add 10 to 15 minutes to the bake time since you’re starting cold.

What kind of potatoes work best? Yukon Golds are my first choice — creamy, thin-skinned, and they hold their shape. Red potatoes work well too. Russets will give you a fluffier, more mashed texture, which some folks love.

Can I use bacon bits instead of cooking my own bacon? You can, and it’ll still be good if you’re short on time. But I’ll be honest with you — nothing beats bacon you cooked yourself. No matter what you’re making.

What size dish do I need? A 9×13 is what I used. If you want a thicker casserole with more height to it, step down to a smaller dish and add a few minutes to the bake.

How do I store and reheat leftovers? Cover it and keep it in the refrigerator up to four days. Reheat individual plates in the microwave, or warm the whole dish covered at 350°F for about 20 minutes.

Can I freeze jalapeño popper potato casserole? You can, though the texture changes some — potatoes and cream cheese don’t love the freezer. If you’re going to, freeze it before baking, thaw overnight in the fridge, and bake as directed with extra time.

What do you serve with this? It’s a side dish, so I’d put it next to grilled chicken, pork chops, or a good burger. It’s also right at home on a potluck table or a holiday spread.