Mashed potatoes are a love affair of potatoes, butter, and cream, combined at the potato’s point of peak smoothness, creating something that’s truly above and beyond your average serving of carbs. Sorry, bread and pasta — you don’t hit the same way! And while you may think mashed potatoes are simply a side combined with a special holiday feast, they are also the center-stage ingredient in recipes like this one for Mashed Potato Enchiladas. You may read that recipe title and be scratching your head — mashed potatoes as enchiladas? Yes, that is correct. The creamy, dreamy side dish gets rolled up with cheese in tortillas, covered with a quick-homemade tomatillo sauce, and baked in the oven until peak bubbling perfection. If this recipe doesn’t scream comfort food on a plate, I don’t know what does!

When one thinks of potatoes, one mind goes to English Sunday roasts, filling Irish stews, German bacon-dosed whole spuds, or Eastern Europe’s potato dumplings, but many forget that the potato was originally a crop of Central and South America brought over to the European continent by privateers during the Age of Exploration. Combining and baking spuds wrapped in tortillas is not the brainchild of some viral internet trend, but rather quite an old cooking method in Mexico. Generally, mashed potatoes are wrapped and eaten in tortillas during the season of Lent. When eating meat is restricted, no-meat options like mashed potato tacos or enchiladas are the center-stage meal of the season leading up to Easter. While this is a recipe for Lent, it is a great way to have a warming bite of comfort during the chilly months of autumn and winter. With this recipe you can let loose with an afforable indulgence or use up holiday leftovers.

This recipe starts off with a homemade enchilada sauce. And while the phrase homemade enchilada sauce may make your brain pump the brakes on this recipe, just wait before you reconsider, because this sauce is crazy simple to make, like crazy simple. After you make this enchilada sauce, you’ll wonder why you ever overpaid for the small jars of flavorless sauce.

You simply quarter the peeled onion, poblano pepper, deseeded jalapeño pepper, and dehusked tomatillos, and plop them into boiling water until softened. Once the vegetables are softened, put them in a blender with fresh cilantro and water and carefully blend until smooth. The sauce is deep with flavor and has a slight bite of heat from the jalapeño.

Next, you prepare your enchiladas. While enchiladas are technically made with corn tortillas, I went for a blend of corn and flour, as that was something I personally had for family meals while working in kitchens, however, you can use corn tortillas as well.

Take one tortilla, add a tiny bit of mashed potatoes, followed by cheese, and roll it into a cigar shape. Place the prepared tortillas seam-side down into a greased baking dish that has a bit of the sauce spread onto the bottom.

Repeat this process until the baking dish is completely filled. You may have to cut some of the enchiladas in half in order to make them fit into the pan.

Next, you pour on the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese and put them in the oven.

You’ll know the enchiladas are done when the sauce is bubbling, and the top is golden brown.

Served straight from the oven, these Mashed Potato Enchiladas are a comfort food with a side of flavor.

The cheese adds to the mashed potato’s rich level of comfort, and the tomatillo sauce is a bright and refreshing contrast that balances the whole dish out.

If you need a hug on a plate, stop your search, because this is where you’ll find that level of comfort.