I can tell pretty quickly on a Saturday morning when we’re set for a pristine first half of the weekend. First: no plans. No required visits anywhere, no mandatory outings, just a blank schedule and day of potential. Then, I wake up to the smell of coffee grinding and large dogs wrestling. The sun is beaming in through the curtains the boy has already opened in our room, and my iPhone brightly tells me it’s 9 AM.
The boy strolls in, hands me a piping hot cup of coffee, and I only barely place it on the solid surface of our nightstand before two 90-pound+ creatures ecstatically jump on the bed to greet me with tail wags and the best, awful dog breath. They wrestle and spread God-knows-what kind of germs all over our blanket, then escape with a resounding thud when the boy yells, “Outside!”. Then he looks at me and says, “How about I make breakfast tacos?”
To quote Jane Bennett in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice through smiles and sobs, “Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.”
He does this, sometimes. He’ll have a grand idea for a meal, either inspired by almighty Reddit or a coworker who shares his adventures in home cooking. I’ve learned that when such a gleam is in his eye, I should simply sit back, let his hands bring his foodie ideas to fruition, take pictures, and claim credit on this blog.
Which is just what I did with this recipe.
He came back from the grocery store with more bags in tow than I anticipated. Inside them were several links of smoky chorizo sausage in red, white, and green packaging with words written only en Espanol, two whole bunches of cilantro, fresh and fragrant flour tortillas, and Monterey jack cheddar cheese. “Chorizo and egg breakfast tacos,” he told me. I grabbed the camera and let him get to work, stealing a few ingredients from time to time to snatch a picture or two while the master chef furiously set his talents to flourish. He may have Irish blood and hobbit hair, but the boy has the palate of a Mexican, and I love it.
First, he let the chorizo cook in a skillet for a bit until it solidified and emitted a savory smoky scent that made my stomach rumble. From there, he added several large eggs (organic and from happy chickens, naturally) and stirred until the mixture was set. While he was mad-scientist-ing, I chopped a monster Russet potatoes into small chunks and cooked until it reached that beloved crunchy-yet-soft texture in the cast iron skillet.
The fluffy bed of the tortilla was first layered with the crispy potatoes, then covered in the hearty chorizo and egg mixture. I sprinkled a healthy helping of freshly grated Monterey jack over the top, then cilantro. He took a few bites, deemed it delicious but in need of salsa, and quickly remedied the situation before taking care of the rest of the taco. It was delicious. The warm, soft, sweet, fresh tortillas were the perfect blanket, wrapped around the smokiest, savoriest, warmest flavors you could imagine. Among the many breakfast tacos that traipse through our kitchen, I confidently rank this in the top 3.
Hearty, savory, and filled with alllllll the best Tex Mex flavors. And enough protein to give you energy to yell at the revolving door of football games on the TV screen for the duration of the Saturday. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…
Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 large russet potato scrubbed and diced into 1/2" pieces
- 2 links of chorizo sausage
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- Salsa of choice
- Flour tortillas
Instructions
- Line a cast iron skillet with some kind of cooking agent such as shortening or vegetable oil (I used about 1 1/2 tablespoon of bacon grease). Heat over medium high heat and let the oils melt down. Add the diced potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and any other seasonings you like. Continue to stir and cook occasionally until the potatoes reach your desired consistency. Ours took about 10-12 minutes.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, break the chorizo into small pieces and cook until it darkens and sets a bit, about 5-6 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs with a dash of pepper and salt. Pour into the chorizo mixture and stir until the eggs set to your desired consistency.
- Heat the flour tortillas and layer with a helping of the potatoes, then the chorizo mixture, topped with your desired amount of cilantro, cheese, and salsa. Serve warm.
