Pambazo de Chorizo y Papa
(pahm-BAH-so deh cho-REE-so ee PAH-pah)
Chapter 4 — Tortas & Sandwiches: The Bread-Based Menu
Walk past the spinning trompo and look at the flat-top griddle of any self-respecting taqueria, watching the cook plunge a soft telera roll directly into a vat of red salsa, tossing the dripping bread down to blister. This isn't a delicate sandwich; it is a massive, two-handed, napkin-destroying masterpiece, soaking up the rendered chorizo fat. Make the filling Tuesday, blend the salsa Wednesday, and cook like a taquero, building the hearty chorizo-potato mash and earthy guajillo sauce beforehand, then assembling it all in a screaming-hot cast-iron skillet.
Before you start
Build the guajillo adobo up to a week in advance.
Toast the cleaned chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 10 to 15 seconds per side until fragrant but not blackened. Hydrate them in a pot of boiling water, off the heat, for 15 minutes. Blend the soft chiles with the onion, garlic, salt, and half a cup of the soaking liquid for a full two minutes. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a wide, shallow bowl; it should be the consistency of heavy cream.
Cook the papas con chorizo a day ahead of time.
Boil the diced potatoes in highly salted water for 8 to 10 minutes until just fork-tender, then drain and let steam dry. In a heavy skillet, melt a tablespoon of lard over medium-high heat and smash the chorizo into a fine crumble, cooking until browned and pooling with red fat. Fold the dry potatoes directly into the rendered pork fat, tossing to coat, then use the back of a spoon to lightly mash about half of the mixture into a cohesive, chunky paste.
Ingredients
- telera rolls4 large
- dried chiles guajillos8 med
- white onion1/4 large
- cloves garlic2 large
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- Russet potatoes1 lb
- raw Mexican chorizo1 lb
- pork lard1/2 cup
- lard-based refried beans1 cup
- iceberg lettuce2 cup
- Crema Mexicana1/2 cup
- Queso Fresco1/2 cup
- Salsa Verde Cruda1 cup
Method
- 01
Heat the comal and dip the bread.
Heat a large carbon-steel comal or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and drop in a generous spoonful of pork lard. Submerge the entire exterior crust of the halved telera rolls into the shallow bowl of guajillo adobo, leaving the white interior crumb completely dry.
- 02
Fry the adobo into the crust.
Place the sauce-soaked bread flat into the hot, shimmering lard, sauce-side down. Press gently with a spatula and aggressively fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the chili paste transforms into a dark, brick-red, shatteringly crisp crust. Flip and quickly toast the dry interior for 30 seconds, then transfer to a wire rack.
- 03
Assemble the feast.
Swipe a thin layer of hot refried beans onto the bottom bun, then pile a massive scoop of the hot papas con chorizo on top. Drizzle heavily with Crema Mexicana, scatter with shaved iceberg lettuce and crumbled Queso Fresco, and spoon over the pulpy molcajete-pressed Salsa Verde before placing the red-charred crown on top.
Notes
Respect the manteca.
The unapologetic use of pork lard is non-negotiable for an authentic taqueria finish. Canola oil will not provide the same profound savory depth or shatteringly crisp crust.
Procure the correct bread.
The structural genius of this sandwich relies on telera rolls, which possess the correct crumb density to absorb the sauce without disintegrating. If unavailable, seek out the softest, widest Kaiser or flat sub rolls you can find.