Simmered to tender perfection, today’s one pot pork chile verde with potatoes is a quintessential Sunday Supper option that will surely satisfy anyone who is craving traditional chile verde that can be impossible to find.

I’m embarrassed to say that I used to be totally intimidated by anything called “chile verde.” I figured something as amazingly flavorful and potentially versatile had to be super time-consuming and way out of my cooking wheelhouse. 

Sooooo not true, and this recipe is proof. I happened to do a traditional chile verde made with pork in today’s offering, but I’m here to tell you that the star of this recipe is the sauce. File the recipe for “how to make chile verde sauce” somewhere in your brain so it can easily be recalled. I’ve since made this dish with dark meat turkey and leftover chicken.  I’ve also used a small amount of this sauce in my white sauce mixture for the deconstructed chicken enchilada casserole to add a bit of bite to the flavors. 

This recipe calls for two pounds of boneless pork shoulder, cut in cubes. You can certainly take advantage to whatever cut of pork you have on hand or may find on special in the grocery store. Lately pork loins have been super reasonably priced, so that’s what I used. You don’t have to cook pork loin as long as you do shoulder as far as the tenderness factor goes. Honestly the best way to check for doneness is via a meat thermometer, and you are looking for a minimum temperature of 145 degrees for pork to be done. At that point a tender loin is ready to serve, a cut that’s a little more meaty like a shoulder will have a higher internal temperature because you will have to cook it longer for desired tenderness. 

Enough about the cut of meat. I want to talk you through making the verde sauce. It can’t be any easier. All you need is a cookie sheet or two, your oven, and a sharp knife. 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, or if you are planning to stay very close to your kitchen, feel free to use the broiler. Place top rack in the middle of the oven, and the second rack just below, with enough space to slide the cookie sheet with tomatillos in. 

Put the cookie sheet that has the garlic on an upper rack. Set timer for 10-15 minutes. At that time you will remove the garlic from the cookie sheet and proceed to let the onions and chiles cook. You want the skins of the chiles to blister, so it’s easy to remove. Leave the tomatillos alone. 

Remove the slightly charred dry skin from the garlic and place in your food processor or blender. Periodically check on your chiles and flip over as a side blisters. Don’t worry about the tomatillos, they are doing just fine where they are. 

When the chiles have blistered, remove from the cookie sheet and place in a covered bowl or covered saucepan to steam for a little while. Remove charred skin from the outsides of the onions. Place the now soft tomatillos into the food processor. Remove the thin membrane from the chiles, as well as the seeds and stems. Toss them into the food processor or blender. Now puree, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add a minimum of 1-1/2 teaspoons of cumin and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Next add a generous cup of fresh cilantro. Puree until everything is happily combined into a fairly smooth puree. 

Honestly, that’s it. As you get more confident in your abilities, you can choose to broil the vegetables versus bake; you can also choose to grill the tomatillos, chiles and onions on an open grill. Your most difficult decision will be which varieties of chiles to use. If your family prefers mild chile flavors, consider using Anaheim chiles. We used poblanos, two Serranos and one fiery Habanero. It was a little spicy for our taste testers with elementary school-aged children, but the adults decided it was spot-on. 

And if you’re wondering, yes, this dish makes great leftovers for the next day. Wrapped up on a fluffy flour tortilla, you’ve got a meal on the go. 

I hope you are all staying safe out there in the wild. Next week, I’ll be sharing a dessert recipe that’s perfect for Thanksgiving.