Papas Fritas Con Rajas (Potatoes Fried With Chile Strips)

This is an excellent accompaniment for roasted and broiled meats, especially if you want something more substantial than the rajas alone.

I shall never forget the wonderful smell of the chiles frying as we would walk in very hungry at lunch time. Sometimes our maid Rufina would use strips of the long, thin, dark green chile chilaca, which can bite your stomach as well as your mouth quite fiercely.

Cook the potatoes but be careful not to cook them too much; they should be al dente, or they will disintegrate during the frying.

Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles and cut them into strips about 1 1/2 inhes long and 1/2 inch wide. If the chiles seem too picante, soak them in salted water for about 30 minutes.

Heat the oil and fry the onions gently, without browning them, until they are soft.

Add the chile strips, potatoes, and salt to the onions in the pan. Without covering the pan, fry the potatoes until they are nicely browned, stirring the mixture from time to time, as the chile and onions are apt to stick to the bottom of the pan.