Papitas con Chorizo en Tortillas de Harina
Desayuno & Almuerzo – The Morning Bridge
The smell of rendering chorizo hitting a hot pan immediately cuts through the kitchen as you scrape a plastic tube of supermarket chorizo into the skillet, dodging sputtering red grease. To get this deeply spiced hash exactly right—without half-inch cubes of Russet potato turning to greasy mush—requires a simple sleight of hand: parboiling and shocking the potatoes before they ever meet the pork fat. Fold it tight into a blistered, store-bought raw flour tortilla and eat it standing over the stove.
Ingredients
- white potatoes4 med
- Mexican pork chorizo1 lb
- white onion1/2 med
- jalapeño1 med
- kosher salt1 tsp
- uncooked flour tortillas12 small
Method
- 01
Boil and shock the potatoes.
Drop the cubed potatoes into a pot of generously salted boiling water for exactly six minutes until fork-tender but intact. Drain and immediately plunge them into an ice bath or run them under freezing cold water. This locks their starches so they fry in the pork fat instead of disintegrating.
- 02
Render the chorizo.
Squeeze the chorizo out of its casing into a large, dry skillet over medium heat. Break it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks for about five to seven minutes, letting it release its bright, heavily spiced red fat.
- 03
Sauté the aromatics.
Push the crisped pork to the edges of the pan. Drop the diced onion and jalapeño into the pooling red fat in the center, cooking for two to three minutes until the onion is soft and deeply stained by the chili fat.
- 04
Fry the hash.
Fold the thoroughly drained potatoes into the skillet, tossing until they are completely coated. Press the mixture down into an even layer and leave it alone for three minutes to build a crust, then toss gently and season with salt.
- 05
Blister the tortillas.
Heat a dry comal or a separate flat skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the raw flour tortillas for about forty-five seconds per side until they puff up dramatically and take on beautiful golden-brown char marks. Serve immediately alongside the hot hash.
Notes
Don't skimp on the tortillas.
Shelf-stable, pre-cooked flour tortillas contain dough conditioners that make them gummy and sweet. Seek out raw, ready-to-cook flour tortillas in the refrigerated section for an authentic Norteño texture.
Manage the fat.
If your supermarket chorizo renders an overwhelming, soup-like amount of grease, spoon a little off. But leave at least a few tablespoons in the pan—that highly seasoned fat is exactly what flavors and crisps the potatoes.
From Cook Mexican in America.