Roscoe’s Chilaquiles

Roscoe’s chilaquiles are a stunning Mexican breakfast of crisp tortilla chips in a traditional salsa roja, topped with a fried egg, crema, and avocado.

Preparation Details

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 55 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 3 guajillo chile peppers , seeds removed
• 1 ancho chile pepper, seeds removed
• 4 cups boiling water
• 4 Roma tomatoes , quartered
• 1 white onion , quartered
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 2 culantro leaves
• 1 lime, juiced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steps

1. For salsa roja, pour boiling water over peppers and let sit until softened, 15 to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a skillet over high heat, and sear tomatoes, onions, and garlic until charred for about 2 minutes.
3. Place softened peppers, charred vegetables, and 1 cup of the chile soaking water in a blender. Reserve remaining 3 cups chile water.  Blend until smooth. Strain the sauce; pour back into the pan.
4. Cook sauce over medium heat, scraping any charred bits from the bottom of the pan; add 2 cups of remaining chile water. Simmer until sauce is reduced by 1/3. Stir in bouillon cube and last 1 cup chile water, culantro leaves, lime juice; stir until bouillon cube dissolves. Season with salt and pepper.
5. For chilaquiles, heat oil to 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C) in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add tortillas and fry until crisp and golden. 2 minutes per batch.
6. For each serving, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small nonstick pan over medium heat. Crack an egg into the skillet, and cook until outer edges become opaque, about 1 minute. Turn egg over and cook until whites are completely opaque, 1 to 2 minutes more.
7. Add a handful of chips to the salsa roja, and turn to coat completely. Remove to a serving plate with a slotted spoon.
8. Drizzle with crema, top with an egg, cotija cheese, avocado, cilantro, squeeze of lime juice, and drizzle with more salsa roja. Sprinkle with oregano. Repeat with remaining ingredients.