Nirvana Enchilada Casserole

Preparing the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the potatoes with the oil right on the baking sheet.

Sprinkle with salt and black pepper and toss to coat.

Bake for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 350F, flip the potatoes and bake for 10 more minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven at 350F because that is the temp at which the enchiladas need to bake. Preparing the enchilada sauce: Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Dry-toast the cumin and coriander seeds in the pan for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until theyre fragrant and a few shades darker. Just be careful not to burn.

Add the oil and saut the onion, jalapeo, garlic, oregano and a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Add the tomatoes, agave, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, cover the pot and turn the heat up to bring to a low boil.

Let cook for about 20 minutes. Once cooked, pure until smooth with either an immersion blender or by transferring to a blender or food processor. If using a blender, intermittently lift the lid to let steam escape so that it doesnt build up and explode and kill you. Also, note that if you use an immersion blender, you really have to blend a lot to get the seeds to smooth out. Taste for salt and set aside to cool. For the filling: Preheat a large pan over medium heat and add the oil. Saut the onion in the oil with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until translucent.

Add the garlic and saut just until fragrant, 15 seconds or so.

Add the mushrooms and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until the mushrooms have released a lot of their moisture, about 5 minutes.

Drain the cashews.

Add all of the white sauce ingredients to the blender and pure until completely smooth, anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes depending on the strength of your machine. Its rather thick, so definitely scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula often to make sure you get everything. Refrigerate until ready to use. For assembly: Lightly grease a 9 x 13inch casserole pan. Ladle in a thin layer of enchilada sauce, then layer 6 tortillas into the pan. Now things are going to get a bit messy! Ladle in another layer of enchilada sauce (about 1 cup), and flip each tortilla to smother in the sauce. Each one should be coated, but you should still be able to see the tortilla; that is to say, it shouldnt be drowning in the sauce. Next, arrange the tortillas so that theyre slightly overlapping and covering the bottom of the pan. Now add half of the filling and pour on 1/2 cup or so enchilada sauce.

Layer in 6 more tortillas and repeat the process of smothering each of them in a cup of sauce. Cover with the remaining filling. Once again pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce over the filling, and add the final layer of tortillas. Smother those in a cup of sauce. Reserve the rest of the sauce (if any) for serving. Finally, top with the white sauce. I pour it directly out of the blender and try to ribbon it in thick globs over the top. It doesnt have to be neat; it will look cute pretty much no matter what.

Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. The topping should be lightly golden.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a handful of pepitas and chopped fresh cilantro if you like. Now its ready to serve! Try out these casserole recipes on Food Republic: Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe Potato Bacon Cheese

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