The Latent Larder

Huevos Rancheros with Crispy Tortillas

Fried eggs over crisped corn tortillas, ladled with a simmered tomato-chile ranchero sauce and warm refried beans.

Serves
4
Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Written
Huevos Rancheros with Crispy Tortillas

Method

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan over medium and cook the onion until softened, about 5 minutes.

  2. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

  3. Stir in the tomatoes and cumin, simmer until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes, then blend smooth (or leave chunky) and season with salt. Keep warm.

  4. Warm the refried beans in a small pot, thinning with a splash of water if needed. Keep warm.

  5. Wipe out a skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium-high, and fry the tortillas one at a time until spotted brown and crisp at the edges, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels.

  6. In the same skillet, fry the eggs to your liking, whites set and yolks still soft.

  7. Spread beans over each tortilla, top with a fried egg, and spoon ranchero sauce over the top.

  8. Finish with queso fresco, cilantro, and avocado, and serve with lime wedges.

Notes

The sauce is the one thing to get right — simmer it until it coats a spoon, because a thin sauce turns the crisp tortilla to mush before anyone gets a fork in. Blending it is optional; left chunky it’s closer to a fresh salsa, blended it clings better.

Fry the tortillas in batches and hold them on a wire rack, not stacked on paper towels, or the bottom ones steam soft again. If you’re feeding a crowd, everything up through the sauce and beans holds well on low heat — fry the eggs to order.