Chilaquiles Rojos con Huevo Estrellado

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for charring and toasting
• •Wide cazuela or deep skillet for the salsa
• •Heavy-bottomed skillet for frying the totopos
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer (optional, for a silkier salsa)
• •Wooden spoon for folding the totopos

Instructions

1. 1

   Dry the tortillas

   Cut the day-old corn tortillas into quarters. They need to be a little stale. Fresh tortillas absorb too much oil and turn greasy instead of crisp. If yours are still soft, spread them on a sheet pan and leave them out for an hour, or pass them briefly through a 200F oven until they feel dry to the touch. This is the first decision in the recipe and it shapes the whole dish.

2. 2

   Fry the totopos

   Heat about half an inch of oil or lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When a tortilla quarter dropped in sizzles immediately and rises to the surface, the oil is ready. Fry the tortillas in batches, turning once, until golden and crisp, about two minutes per side. Drain on a wire rack or a plate lined with newspaper. Salt them lightly while they are still hot. These are totopos, not bagged tortilla chips. The difference is everything.

   Lard gives a deeper flavor than neutral oil. If you have manteca on hand, use it for at least half the frying fat. La manteca es el sabor.
3. 3

   Roast the salsa ingredients

   Heat a dry comal or cast iron skillet over medium-high. Place the jitomates, the half onion, and the unpeeled garlic cloves directly on the hot surface. Turn them as the skins blacken and blister, about ten minutes total. The tomatoes should be soft and collapsing, the onion charred at the edges, the garlic soft inside its papery skin. Pull each piece off as it finishes. Peel the garlic. This is the foundation of a CDMX red salsa. The char is not a mistake, it is the flavor.

4. 4

   Toast and soak the chiles

   Lower the comal to medium. Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles separately, pressing them flat with a spatula, about 20 seconds per side. They should puff slightly and turn fragrant. If you want heat, toast the chile de arbol the same way. Transfer the toasted chiles to a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water, not boiling. Soak for 15 minutes until pliable.

   Boiling water cooks the skin and turns the salsa bitter. Hot tap water softens the flesh and lets the chile flavor come through clean. No me vengas con atajos.
5. 5

   Blend the salsa

   Drain the chiles. Transfer them to a blender with the roasted tomatoes, charred onion, peeled garlic, salt, and the cup of chicken broth. Blend until completely smooth, at least two minutes. Mexican grandmothers used a molcajete for this. A good blender is a fair compromise for chilaquiles. Strain the salsa through a fine-mesh sieve if you want it silky, or leave it as is for more body. I leave it.

6. 6

   Fry the salsa

   Melt the lard in a wide cazuela or deep skillet over medium heat. When it shimmers, pour in the blended salsa. It will sputter. Stand back. Cook for eight to ten minutes, stirring often, until the salsa darkens and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Drop in the sprig of epazote. Taste for salt. The salsa should be assertive, almost too strong on its own. The totopos will absorb the edge.

7. 7

   Fry the eggs

   While the salsa simmers, heat a tablespoon of lard or oil in a separate skillet over medium-high. Crack the eggs in one at a time. You want huevos estrellados: crisp lacy edges, set whites, yolk still bright and liquid. Spoon a little of the hot fat over the whites to set the tops without flipping. Salt them as they cook. Three minutes, no more.

8. 8

   Drown the totopos

   This is the moment that decides everything. Add the totopos to the simmering salsa and fold them in gently with a wooden spoon. You want every chip coated but not collapsing. CDMX chilaquiles are eaten with the totopos still holding some bite at the center. Soggy chilaquiles are a sign the cook walked away. Forty-five seconds to a minute in the salsa, no longer. If the pan looks dry, splash in a little more broth.

9. 9

   Plate and finish

   Divide the chilaquiles among four warm plates. Pull the spent epazote out, you have already given the salsa its flavor. Slide a fried egg on top of each portion. Drizzle generously with crema. Scatter the crumbled queso fresco, the diced raw white onion, and a pinch of cilantro across the top. Serve immediately with refried black beans on the side if you want a fonda-style breakfast. Eat them now. Chilaquiles wait for nobody. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Day-old tortillas are not optional. Fresh tortillas turn greasy when fried and collapse in the salsa. If you only have fresh, dry them out in a low oven for 20 minutes before cutting and frying.
• •If you cannot find epazote fresh, a Mexican grocery may carry it dried. Dried epazote is a compromise but acceptable. Do not substitute oregano, cilantro, or basil. They are different herbs doing different work.
• •The crema must be crema mexicana, not sour cream. Crema is thinner, slightly sweeter, and pours from a bottle. Sour cream sits in clumps on the chilaquiles and turns the dish into something else. La Crema or Cacique brands are reliable in the United States.
• •Queso fresco crumbles. Cotija works too if it is softer-style and not aged into hard salt. Do not use shredded cheese from a bag. This is not a casserole.

Advance Preparation

• •The red salsa can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat it in the cazuela before adding the totopos. The flavor deepens overnight.
• •Fry the totopos up to one day ahead and store at room temperature in a paper bag, not plastic. Plastic traps moisture and turns them limp.
• •Do not combine the totopos with the salsa until the moment of serving. Once they meet, the clock is running.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 275g)