Smoky Chipotle Salsa With Pan-Roasted Tomatillos

I LOVE this salsa. It’s amazing how 4 little ingredients make something so good. The chipotle chiles give it a smokiness, the tomatillo lends it some tang, and then the roasted garlic…well, it’s roasted garlic!! Fantastic. I poured it all over my red chile chicken and rice with black beans, it would be great over eggs, with chips, in a burrito, really, with just about anything.

Not only is it delicious, but it’s really easy to make. Just husk the tomatillos, cut them in half and throw them in a skillet with the garlic to brown on both sides. You don’t even need to mince the garlic! Then you just throw it all in a blender with a couple chipotle peppers, whirl it around, toss in some salt, pour it in a bowl and you’re good to go!

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Smoky Chipotle Salsa with Pan-Roasted Tomatillos #

3 garlic cloves, peeled
4 medium (about 8 ounces total) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut in half
2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo (or more, if you like really spicy salsa), stemmed
1/4 cup water
Salt

Set a large (10-inch) non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. If you don’t have a non-stick skillet, lay in a piece of foil on the bottom of your pan. Lay in the garlic and tomatillos (cut side down) in the skillet. When the tomatillos are well browned, 3 or 4 minutes, turn everything over and brown the other side. The tomatillos should be completely soft before you move on to the blender.

Put the garlic and tomatillos into a blender with the chiles and 1/4 cup water. Process to a coarse puree. Pour into a serving bowl and cool.

If it seems a little thick, you can thin the salsa with additional water to get to the consistency that you want — it should be easily spoonable. Taste and season with salt, usually a generous 1/2 teaspoon.