Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day. In Singapore, where I grew up, this first meal is not taken lightly — plates of spicy noodles and dishes of coconut rice paired with fried chicken or fish, eggs and flaming hot sambal sauce are common ways to start your morning.
So it’s no surprise, then, that I’m all about the hearty, savory breakfast that works just as well for lunch. When my Let’s Lunch bunch suggested tackling “breakfast for lunch” for our April lunch date, I jumped on board right away.
Leafing through my friend Joe Yonan‘s new cookbook “Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One,” I had spied several delectable-looking recipes in his chapter on tacos. One called out to me more than the others: Austin-Style Breakfast Tacos, which Joe began whipping together as a college student in Austin years ago.
With some eggs, chorizo and cheese in hand, I was ready to give this a whirl…
Let me begin by saying that this recipe is insanely easy — which is crucial for any morning meal. (I don’t know about you but my brain seldom functions properly before 10 a.m. Any tricky recipe is dangerous in my hands before then.)
Joe — who happens to be the Food Editor at the Washington Post — has created something both simple and delicious here, however, and he explains the steps very clearly. You basically microwave the potato, chop it up, fry up some chorizo, add potatoes then scramble some eggs, heat up tortillas and assemble.
It’s that easy.
The one thing that tripped me up a little was the fact that the tortillas I had bought were a little small, making the folding over of the tortilla to melt the cheese before eating a tad difficult. As you can see below, this was a pretty packed tortilla even before the cheese and salsa were added.
This is, however, not a bad problem to have. Eaten open-faced, a la tostada, Joe’s breakfast taco provides a mouthwatering start to any day and is certainly oomphy enough for a midday meal.
A lunch of champions, indeed.
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Don’t forget to check out the Let’s Lunchers’ breakfast for lunch offerings below! And if you’d like to join Let’s Lunch, go to Twitter and post a message with the hashtag #Letslunch — or, post a comment below.
Caitlin‘s Crispy Okra Coins with Fried Egg and Biscuits at Caitlin Shetterly
Cathy‘s Frittata Ribbon Salad with Honey-Bacon Vinaigrette at Showfood Chef
Danielle‘s Kaya Toast at Beyond The Plate
Denise‘s Vanilla Yogurt Pancakes at Chez Us
Linda‘s Cinnamon Roll French Toast Sticks at Free Range Cookies
Rashda‘s Sweet Potato and 2-Pepper Hash with Fried Egg and Avocado at Hot Curries & Cold Beer
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Joe’s Austin-Style Breakfast Tacos
From “Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One“
1 very small (3 to 4 oz.) potato of any variety, scrubbed but not peeled
2 eggs
1 link fresh chorizo sausage (about 3 oz.)
2 8-inch flour tortillas
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 oz. monterey jack cheese, grated
1/4 cup blackened salsa, salsa verde (Joe’s book has recipes for both) or a salsa of your choice
Line a large plate on one side with a folded paper towel.
Pierce the potato all over with a fork and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Let cool, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
Break the eggs into a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Put a small skillet over medium heat. Slice open the chorizo casing and squeeze out the sausage into the pan. Break it up with a spoon and saute until it browns and becomes crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potato pieces, stir to combine and cook for another minute or so until the potato is colored from the chorizo. Transfer to one side of the prepared plate and cover with a piece of aluminum foil to keep warm.
Warm the tortillas and wrap them in foil to keep warm.
Wipe out skillet, return it to medium heat and pour in the oil. When it shimmers, add the eggs, stirring and cooking them until they are set but still moist, 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately scoop them onto the other side of the plate with the chorizo-potato mixture and cover with foil to keep warm. Lay the tortillas out on a plate. Divide the chorizo-potato mixture between the tortillas. Top with the eggs and a sprinkling of cheese. Close the tortillas to let the cheese melt slightly, then open them, spoon the salsa evenly over the other ingredients, close and eat.