Chilaquiles

Happy Memorial Day! Since we have a day off and we're being lazy today, I decided to make a special breakfast. Chilaquiles are one of my favorite dishes for breakfast. I'm not a huge breakfast person, yet I love to put eggs on just about anything. I think I love this so much because it doesn't feel like it has to be for breakfast. My only regret is that I didn't have any beans defrosted, so I couldn't put that on that side.

I had some leftover dried chiles from another red sauce I made for a nacho night with friends. We also had some chips leftover from our Vinyl Party a couple weekends ago, so it wasn't a hard decision to make. I normally either fry my own chips up or, if I'm feeling somewhat healthy, will coat the cut-up tortillas lightly in oil and bake them until nice and crisp. This just made it that much easier.

While the recipe calls for feta or queso fresco, I tend to prefer the simple flavor of grated parmesan on this dish. Ok, actually I used parmesan since I had to buy it for the pizza I'm making tonight anyway, so it was a better choice for our budget. Works out both ways.

No better way to start a lazy holiday than a good breakfast and some Twin Peaks.

Chilaquiles*
Adapted from Bon Appetit


Red chile sauce:
7 dried guajillo or New Mexico chiles, stems and seeds discarded
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained
1 medium white onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Assembly:
Vegetable oil 9 6" corn tortillas, cut into 1.5" pieces, or 36 large tortilla chips 
8 large eggs
Grated parmesan cheese or crumbled queso fresco
Finely chopped white onion
Thinly sliced radishes
Chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

For red chile sauce: Place chiles in a medium bowl; cover with 2 cups boiling water and cover. Let chiles soak until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Place chiles in a blender. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and 1 cup reserved soaking liquid; purée until smooth.

For chips: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tortilla pieces into a bowl and pour about 1-2 Tbsp of oil and toss until all pieces are coated. Spread tortilla into even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven until ready to use.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add purée (it will splatter) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes (add more reserved soaking liquid if too thick). Stir in honey and season to taste with salt and pepper. Once sauce has reduced, coat chips in just enough sauce so they start to absorb and get soft.


Meanwhile, pour oil into a nonstick skillet to lightly coat. Heat over medium-high heat. Add eggs and fry for about 30 seconds until whites are starting to set, cover with lid and allow to fry for an additional 2 minutes until whites are set, but yolks are still runny.

Top chilaquiles with chopped onion, radishes, cilantro, and lime wedges. Top with fried eggs and serve with remaining sauce alongside.

*This recipe says it serves 4, but I don't put a ton of sauce on the chips (just enough to coat), so save half for another time. It freezes beautifully.