huevos rancheros
Ingredients
- 2 lb Roma tomatoes, halved
- 1 white onion, quartered
- 2 serrano chiles, stems removed
- 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 8 corn tortillas, preferably day-old
- 3 tbsp lard or vegetable oil, divided
- 8 large eggs
- 4 oz cotija cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream thinned with 1 tbsp water
- Fresh lime wedge
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Char tomato halves, onion quarters, serrano chiles, and garlic cloves directly over a gas flame or under a broiler 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until deeply blistered and softened. Transfer to a blender with cilantro and salt. Blend until slightly textured but not completely smooth—sauce should have visible chile flecks. Taste and adjust salt.
- Heat 1 tbsp lard in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Warm tortillas one at a time, 20-30 seconds per side, until pliable and lightly charred. Stack on a warm plate and cover with foil.
- In the same skillet, heat remaining 2 tbsp lard over medium heat. Pour salsa into skillet and simmer 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce deepens in color and oil begins separating slightly at edges. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
- Fill a shallow skillet with 1/2 inch of water and bring to gentle simmer over medium heat. Add pinch of salt. Crack 2 eggs into small cup, then gently slide into simmering water. Repeat with remaining 6 eggs, spacing them evenly. Poach 3-4 minutes until whites are just set but yolks remain runny. Remove with slotted spoon onto paper towel.
- Arrange 2 warm tortillas on each plate, slightly overlapping. Ladle 3-4 tbsp warm salsa over tortillas, then top each plate with 2 poached eggs, centering them in the salsa.
- Drizzle Mexican crema around eggs in thin lines. Scatter cotija cheese generously over top. Grind fresh black pepper over entire dish and serve immediately with lime wedge on side.
Inspired by Rene Rodriguez’s winning huevos rancheros. This is a plausible recreation, not the chef’s original recipe.