After getting some great Mexican takeout the other night, we were left with a bag full of tortilla chips, quickly going stale on the countertop. Never being one to waste perfectly good food (and not a fan of slightly chewy chips), I decided to repurpose them in this classic Mexican comfort food dish.
Chilaquiles is a dish born of leftovers. It is most commonly served for breakfast or brunch, using tortillas and salsa from the previous night’s meal. The tortillas are cut into wedges or strips, fried until crispy, simmered in salsa, then topped with a fried egg. The salsa can be whatever you’ve got on hand, whether it be a tomato-based salsa roja, mole sauce, or a tomatillo-based salsa verde.
For today’s version, I made a simple salsa using a mix of Anaheim and Jalapeño peppers, onion and garlic. I tossed the vegetables in oil and salt, then roasted them until mellow and sweet. A quick blitz in the blender yielded a velvety smooth, almost creamy sauce, with just a bit of a spicy kick.
You can top your chilaquiles with a fried egg as I did, or grate a mound of cotija or queso fresco on top. Serve it alone or with refried beans on the side. Oh, and the salsa recipe makes enough for three generous servings of chilaquiles — you can freeze the extra salsa for future chilaquiles cravings, or make a big batch to share.
Roasted Pepper Salsa Verde (printer-friendly version)
makes about 3 cups
4 Anaheim peppers, seeded and cut into 1” pieces
4 Jalapeño peppers, seeded and cut into 1” pieces
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1” pieces
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 ½ C. low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1. Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Place peppers, garlic and onion on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat everything with the oil, then bake for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the ingredients to cool to room temperature. Place in a blender or food processor, pour in the chicken broth, and blend for about 10 seconds, until salsa is smooth and thick.
Roasted Green Pepper Chilaquiles (printer-friendly version)
serves 1
1 C. Roasted Pepper Salsa Verde
2 ounces tortilla chips
top with:
1 egg, cooked over easy
½ of one serrano pepper, thinly sliced into rounds
¼ C. chopped fresh tomatoes (Early Girl or other variety)
1. Ladle the salsa into a medium (10-inch) skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
2. When the salsa begins to simmer, add the tortilla chips. Stir the tortilla chips into the salsa and let simmer for about 3 minutes, until they have absorbed the salsa and become pliable but not broken down.
3. Transfer the cooked mixture onto a serving plate. Fry an egg and set on top. Garnish with sliced pepper and chopped tomatoes and serve immediately.
