Sunday morning is my favorite part of every week. We wake up late, I make us brunch, Brian makes us coffee, and we cue up the latest episode of Saturday Night Live. While SNL is a miss about 50% of the time, brunch, thankfully, has a better hit rate. We both love Mexican food and huevos rancheros have become a regular recipe in our brunch rotation. The particular recipe takes less than 30 mins to pull together and you can scale it up pretty easily for a crowd as well. It borrows from a few versions I've had and read about; I don't know if this will pass the authenticity test but it's pretty damn satisfying.

If you are making this for a crowd, multiply and scale up accordingly. Frying eggs for a larger group can be time-consuming and the finished product can be inconsistent. After some Googling and trial, I discovered you can make a large batch of eggs in the oven. Set the oven to 425, spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, crack as many eggs as you need, and cook for 6 mins for perfectly "fried" eggs. Thanks to this blog for this great tip - I made 10 eggs for a group of 5 a few weeks ago using this method and they turned out great!

The radishes are optional; I dress them in some lime juice and salt. Their crunch is a great textural balance and the freshness is a great flavor balance. My avocados were not ripe so I skipped them this time but a few slices, dressed in lime juice and salt, are a great addition. 

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 eggs
• 4 corn tortillas (CORN, I MEAN IT)
• 2 tbsp queso fresco
• 2-3 radishes, thinly sliced
• avocado slices
• salsa of choice (I like this one)
• chopped cilantro to garnish
• salt and pepper

For the beans:

• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 can of black beans (unsalted)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 ground cumin
• 1/4 red pepper flakes
• 1/4 Mexican oregano, crushed
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp hot sauce (I like this one)
• salt to taste

Salsa ingredients, if not using store-bought:

• 1 can fire roasted, diced tomatoes
• 1-2 chipotle peppers and 1 tbsp sauce from the can
• salt to taste

Method

1. Make the black beans. Heat a sauce pan over medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is smoking, add in the minced garlic and toss for a few seconds, until golden brown. Add in the cumin powder, red pepper flakes, and oregano and lower the heat slightly. Drain the black beans lightly, leaving a small amount of liquid behind. Add the beans to the sauce pan and and mix well. Salt the beans and let cook for 5 mins on medium heat. Once the beans thicken, add in the hot sauce and the juice of 1/2 lime. Turn off the heat and mash the beans, either with an immersion blender or a potato masher. Set aside.
2. If not using store-bought salsa, make your salsa by blending the canned tomatoes, chipotle peppers, and salt. This will make about 2 cups, which is more than you need for 2 servings. The remaining salsa will keep in the fridge for at least a week.
3. Make your eggs. Heat a stainless steel pan over medium high heat and add in a teaspoon of olive oil. Once the oil begins smoking, crack 4 eggs into the pan. Cook for 2 mins. Lower the heat to medium low and cook for an additional 5 mins, or until the whites have set. Season with salt and pepper.
4. While the eggs are cooking, prep the radishes and avocado. Cut both into slices and place in separate bowls. Dress each with the juice of 1/4 lime and salt. Set aside.
5. Heat up the corn tortillas. I heat them directly on top of my gas stove. You can also heat them up for 30 seconds on each side on a pan, if you do not have a gas stove. (Whatever you do, do not microwave them or eat them without heating them up. They will taste like garbage.)
6. Assemble your huevos rancheros. Place the tortillas on a plate, top generously with black beans and salsa, place the egg on top, and garnish with the cilantro and cheese. You can top with radishes and avocado or serve them both on the side.