Tortilla Crusted Chicken with Spicy Pepper Jack Potatoes Au Gratin

I have been so busy I haven't had time to create and post new recipes.  This week was especially stressful and for some reason experimenting with a new recipe helps me relax.  I came up with these two ideas to sue up some items I had on hand.  I served the chicken with homemade guacamole and corn on the cob.

Ingredients:

About 4 cups of whole corn tortillas chips

1/2 tsp of creole seasoning

1 egg

1/2 cup of buttermilk

1 tsp of hot sauce

4 thin sliced chicken cutlets

Olive oil

Guacamole for serving

Crush corn tortillas chips with your hands to fit in a blender.  Season with creole seasoning and pulse to grind into a fine crumb.  Meanwhile create a a breading station.  Mix egg, buttermilk and hot sauce together in one container and add ground tortillas chips to another.  Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Dip the chicken in egg mixture then coat with the tortillas chips on both sides.  Place chicken in pan and cook until browned on one side, 3-5 minutes.  Turn and cook on the second side until browned and chicken is cooked through, 3-5 minutes more.  Serve with guacamole.

Ingredients:

8 small or 6 medium red potatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 a sweet onion, finely diced

1/4 of a green pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 large clove of garlic, minced

3 tbsp of butter

3 tbsp of flour

2 cups of milk

Olive oil

1/2 tsp of salt, plus additional for seasoning

Pinch of nutmeg 

Pinch of cayenne (optional)

Few dashes of creole seasoning to taste

4 ounces of pepper jack diced, 1 ounces grated

3 ounces of sharp white cheddar, diced

Preheat oven to 400. In one pan, heat a small amount of olive oil over medium heat and add peppers and onions.  Sauté for about 5-8 minutes until softened.  Add in garlic and stir until fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes.  Season lightly with salt.  Meanwhile, in a separate pot, melt butter completely.  Add in flour and stir for about 2 minutes.  Whisk in milk and season with 1/2 tsp of salt, cayenne, nutmeg and creole seasoning.  Bring to a low simmer and allow to cook until thickened, about 5-8 minutes.  Turn off heat and add in the diced cheese and stir until melted and well combined.  Stir in the sautéed onions and peppers and taste, adjusting seasoning as you prefer.  Layer half of the sliced potatoes in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Pour half of the cheese mixture in.  Layer the remaining potatoes and pour the remaining cheese sauce over.  Top with grated cheeses, cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the cover and cook until the top is brown about 30 more minutes.