Huevos Rotos con Chistorra
(weh-vohs roh-tohs kon chees-tohr-rah)
La Comida Hecha Rápida: The Weeknight Heart
You drop diced potatoes into a hot cast-iron skillet, blister them, and toss in sliced chistorra sausage before the eggs hit the pan. Don't you dare throw away the rendered fat from the sausage—you fry the eggs right in that paprika-laced oil, letting the yolks shatter against a wooden spoon for a supper that transports you straight to the Cava Baja in twenty minutes flat. Keep thick bread nearby to mop the orange grease.
Before you start
Soak and dry the potatoes.
Submerge the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to draw out the surface starch, which keeps them from sticking together in the pan. Drain and dry them completely with paper towels to prevent splattering in the hot oil.
Ingredients
- Yukon Gold potatoes3 large
- chistorra or soft semi-cured Spanish chorizo1/2 lb
- extra virgin olive oil1 1/2 cup
- eggs4 large
- coarse sea salt1 tsp
Method
- 01
Poach, then crisp the potatoes.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the dried potatoes and let them poach gently for 10 to 12 minutes until easily pierced. Crank the heat to high for 3 to 5 minutes to form a golden crust, then move them to a paper-towel-lined plate and salt generously.
- 02
Render the chistorra.
Pour off all but two tablespoons of the oil. Drop the sausage pieces into the pan over medium-high heat, searing for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chistorra over the resting potatoes, leaving that brilliant red, smoky fat in the skillet.
- 03
Fry the eggs in the rendered fat.
Keep the heat medium-high and crack the eggs directly into the paprika-laced oil. Work quickly, spooning the hot fat over the whites until they set with crispy, lace-like edges—the coveted puntilla—while leaving the yolks perfectly liquid.
- 04
Serve immediately and break the eggs.
Lay the eggs over the potatoes and sausage. Bring the platter straight to the table and dramatically slash through the eggs with a knife and fork, letting the rich yolks bleed down into the crispy potatoes.
Notes
The right sausage.
Authentic Navarrese chistorra is thin, fatty, and cures quickly. If using Mexican chorizo in a pinch, buy links rather than loose crumbles, though a soft Spanish cooking chorizo is a closer match.
Do not tear the potatoes.
Unlike stews where tearing (chascar) releases starch to thicken a broth, here you want clean slices. Torn potatoes will release too much starch, sticking and burning in the frying oil.
From Cook Spanish in America.