Just finished demolishing our birria tacos and left with a few ingredients and maybe some leftover birria meat? Throw together our Mexican-inspired baked eggs and crispy potatoes to purge your fridge of those leftovers.
Baked eggs have origins in numerous countries, including Israel, Portugal, Italy, and France. So, although not a Mexican dish, we are utilizing Mexican flavors while employing techniques applied in the more traditional baked eggs dishes.
If you have not yet tried our birria tacos, and you are craving something Mexican-inspired this weekend, try our baked eggs and crispy potatoes recipe, anyways. Moreover, if you do not have leftover birria shredded beef to add to this recipe, I suggest adding one teaspoon of diced habanero or jalapeno pepper for some heat!
Need-to-Know
The key to making these baked eggs is learning how to treat the chiles to make the adobo. For an in-depth look into all Mexican chiles, their flavors, and their treatment, visit our post, “How to Treat Dried Chiles for Mexican Adobos and Salsas.”
Storing the Chiles
The shelf-life of dried chiles is three to six months. When storing dried chiles, store them in airtight containers in a cool, dark place. Alternatively, you may store them in airtight containers in the freezer. This step will ensure that the chiles stay fresh for the maximum time.
Toasting the Spices
Before use, toast the dried chiles in a dry sauté pan at medium heat to enhance those flavors by releasing their natural oils. When they appear intensely aromatic, they are ready for use. The toasting process should only take 1 minute. Be careful not to burn them as they will develop a bitter taste.
Soaking the Chiles to Rehydrate Them
For birria, dried chiles are used to make the braising liquid, but they are rehydrated before use. To rehydrate dried chiles, you must soak them in hot water for 20-30 minutes or until they are fully hydrated. Use a spoon periodically to push them into the liquid so that the entire chile is adequately soaked. Once soft, they are ready to be blended.
Don’t Crowd the Potatoes on the Baking Sheet
When arranging the seasoned potatoes on the baking sheet, be careful not to overcrowd them. Ensure that each sliced potato has adequate contact with the baking sheet to allow it to become crispy and golden brown.
Flip Them Half Way Through the Cooking Process
The potatoes will undergo two baking sessions. Halfway through the baking process, flip the potatoes over to ensure both sides become crispy and golden brown. Some potatoes will become golden brown after the first bake. Others will have to be flipped flesh-side down for the second bake to ensure they too become golden brown.
Baking the Eggs in Pureed Tomatoes
Although the recipe calls for 4 eggs, you may choose to crack only 3 into the cast-iron pan depending on your cast-iron pan’s size. Use your discretion. Make a well using a spoon by creating a hole in the adobo. Create three to four equal-sized wells in three to four separate parts of the cast iron pan, and then crack each egg into its own well so that the eggs cook evenly.
To achieve soft opaque egg whites and velvety egg yolks, we suggest cooking the eggs for 7 minutes in the tomato puree in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius). Watch them closely! As soon as the egg white transforms from transparent to opaque, the eggs are done.
Although the photos show beautiful, intact yellow egg yolks in the skillet, the reality is that a thin film of egg white will likely cover each yolk, so you won’t see the beautiful yellow yolks until you break them open. Don’t be deceived by the aesthetics. If you cook the eggs too long in the oven, the yolks will harden. However, if your preference is a firmer egg yolk, please feel free to leave your eggs cooking for 10 minutes.
Mexican Baked Eggs are Healthy and Sustainable
This recipe features eggs baked into a tomato puree sauce of Mexican dried chiles, onions, peppers, and spices. We pair it with crispy fingerling potatoes because potatoes and eggs are the perfect marriage. If there ever was a sustainable animal product, it is the egg. Not only can eggs be reproduced repeatedly, but the eggs industry in the United States has also reduced its carbon footprint by 71% in the last 50 years. Its methods of improving the nutritional quality of hen feed, advancing disease control strategies, enhancing hen housing systems, and reducing natural resource use have proven effective in reaching this goal. To learn more about the egg production industry’s leaps toward a sustainable future, check out this article.
We don’t add any cheese to this dish for those health-conscious folks because, quite frankly, it is not necessary. Of course, you are welcome to add cheese if you’d like. Although we don’t often discuss our recipes’ health properties, this one happens to contain lots of vegetables, lean protein, and heart-healthy fats in addition to showcasing authentic chile flavors. If you are looking for a healthy option for breakfast or brunch this weekend, or you prescribe to a Whole30 or Paleo diet regime, this dish fits perfectly into your meal plan.
Reheating and Storage
If you have leftover eggs, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume them for up to 2 days. If you have leftover tomato puree with onions and pepper, also store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You may consume the latter for up to 7 days. Warm both in the microwave at 70% for 1 minute or until warm.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- leftover birria shredded beef optional
- 2 dried guajillo chiles
- 1 dried ancho chile
- 1 lb fingerling potatoes cut in halves
- 1/2 yellow onion medium dice
- 1 red pepper medium dice
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 1/4 cans fire-roasted whole tomatoes 12 oz cans
- 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tbsp for onions and peppers and 2 tbsp for potatoes
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup cilantro finely chopped (garnish)
- 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp for onions and peppers and 1/2 tsp for potatoes
- ground pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat Oven, Cut, and Prepare Vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius).
- Cut the potatoes (in halves), roughly chop garlic, dice onion and red pepper. Finely chop cilantro. Set aside.
2. Toast Chiles and Soak them for 30 Minutes
- Cut guajillo chiles and ancho chiles in half and remove seeds.
- Place sauté pan on the stovetop at medium heat. Add dried chiles to the pan and toast them for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Half-fill a saucepan with water and place the saucepan on the stovetop at high heat. Once the water is hot, turn off the heat and add the chiles. Soak for 30 minutes.
3. Blend the Abodo
- Add soaked chiles and fire-roasted tomatoes to a food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
4. Roast the Potatoes
- Toss the potatoes with olive oil, salt, and ground pepper.
- Spread the potatoes onto a baking sheet.
- Cook for at least 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius) or until crispy and golden brown on the outside and soft on the inside. Turn the potatoes over halfway through the baking process.
5. Sauté the Vegetables
- Place a cast-iron skillet on the stovetop at medium heat.
- Add olive oil and allow it to heat.
- Add onions, garlic, and red pepper.
- Sauté them for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Lower the heat on the stovetop to medium-low.
6. Add the Spices
- Add oregano and cumin seeds.
- Sauté an additional 10 minutes or until soft.
7. Pour in Dried Chile Adobo and Crack Eggs
- Turn the oven down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius).
- Pour in the dried chile adobo and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Spread the saucy mixture evenly across the cast-iron pan.
- Create a well with a spoon into four sections of the cast-iron pan. Crack 4 eggs around the pan each well.
- Place in the oven for 7-9 minutes or until egg white becomes opaque.
8. Warm Up Birria Beef if You Have It (Optional)
- If you have leftover birria meat, wrap it into aluminum foil, and warm it in the oven. If refrigerated, it will only take 5 minutes, but if it is frozen, it may take 10-12 minutes.
9. Let's Plate
- Season eggs with salt and pepper.
- Garnish cast-iron pan with fresh finely chopped cilantro.
- Spoon crispy potatoes onto a plate. If you have leftover birria meat, spoon birria meat onto potatoes.
- Then, use a spatula to scoop up a serving of baked eggs onto potatoes and birria meat.
- Serve and enjoy.
2 Responses
Amazing 👏👏👏
Thanks, Elizabeth, we appreciate your comment and are really happy you liked this recipe!