WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS? A torta de huevo is Mexico’s answer to the breakfast sandwich: A crusty roll called a talera is stuffed with eggs and a host of other Mexican ingredients. For our version, we opted for kaiser rolls, which made a good substitute for the traditional taleras. We made a quick chipotle mayonnaise by combining mayo with a small amount of smoky and spicy chipotle chile in adobo. Beans are a frequent addition to these Mexican sandwiches; we decided to combine refried beans with fresh tomato, avocado, and a bit of pickled jalapeño brine for brightness. Coating our vegetables with the creamy beans helped prevent them from falling out of the sandwiches. We toasted the buns under the broiler and coated the bottom halves with our bean mixture and the top halves with the spicy chipotle mayo. As for the eggs, we knew that perfectly frying four eggs at a time can be a bit of a challenge; cracking our eggs ahead of time meant they could be poured into the pan all at once, rather than one at a time. We crisped up a few pieces of bacon to lend a salty crunch to the sandwiches, and reserved some of the bacon fat for cooking our eggs. Once the eggs were perfectly fried, we slid them onto the buns and finished off our sandwiches with tangy pickled jalapeños and the crisp bacon.
SERVES: 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 kaiser rolls
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
- ⅓ cup refried beans
- 1 avocado, halved, pitted, and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 plum tomato, cored and diced into ½-inch pieces
- ¼ cup jarred sliced jalapeños, plus 2 teaspoons brine
- 6 slices bacon
- 4 large eggs
- Salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Arrange rolls split side up on rimmed baking sheet. Combine mayonnaise and chipotle in bowl. In a separate bowl, gently combine refried beans, avocado, tomato, and jalapeño brine.
- Cook bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate, let cool slightly, then break each slice in half.
- Broil rolls until golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through broiling. Flip the rolls and broil until just crisp on the second side, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Crack eggs into 2 small bowls (2 eggs per bowl) and season with salt and pepper. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Working quickly, pour 1 bowl of eggs on one side of the skillet and the second bowl of eggs on the other side. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from heat and let sit, covered, for 15 to 45 seconds for runny yolks, 45 to 60 seconds for soft but set yolks, and about 2 minutes for medium-set yolks.
- Spread chipotle mayonnaise on roll tops and refried bean mixture on roll bottoms. Slide 1 egg onto each bottom. Top with bacon, sliced jalapeños, and bun tops. Serve immediately.
