Beet Tostadas

Did any of you – particularly those of you who live in drier climates – ever carry around a coin to diffuse static charges?

This is something I always associated with my grandparents on my dad’s side. This wasn’t usually an issue in Southern California, where I grew up, but they live in a desert region, and had a house filled with carpet.

Of course, socks on carpet in dry air, you’re absolutely going to build up a static charge and then get zapped when you touch a doorknob.

So I remember when we were really, really little, my dad taught us to always carry around a coin when we were visiting our grandparents. Touch the coin to the doorknob (or any other metal things you needed to touch), and voila! Now you can open the door without an unpleasant shock.

What little life lessons did your parents teach you as kids?

I didn’t used to be a huge beet fan, but about a year ago I happened to have some beets on hand that I needed to use up.

I tried out this recipe on my old Twitch stream, and I’ve been craving it again ever since.

The earthiness of the beets go perfectly with the chorizo flavorings, and add a crunchy tostada, fried egg, and all the toppings and it is SO addictively good.

Plus, it’s vegetarian (vegan if you skip the egg), and filled with vegetables, so it’s absolutely one of those super healthy things that doesn’t taste healthy at all.

In fact, I’m already craving it again…

Beet Tostadas with Fried Eggs

slightly adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lb red beets (about 2 large), peeled, cut into 1/4″ pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 2 tbsp ancho chile powder
  • 1 tsp crushed dried oregano, preferably Mexican
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 3/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp Diamond Crystal or 1 1/2 tsp Morton kosher salt, plus more
  • 2 1/3 cups plus 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 large white onion, halved through root end, sliced 1/4″ thick
  • 6 medium serrano chiles, quartered lengthwise, leaving stems and seeds intact
  • 1/3 cup sage leaves
  • 6 6″-diameter corn tortillas
  • 6 large eggs
  • salsa, to serve
Cooking Directions
  1. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Toss beets, garlic, chile powder, oregano, paprika, cumin, pepper, kosher salt, and 1/3 cup oil in a medium bowl until beets are coated. Scrape onto a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet; bake, tossing every 15 minutes, until beets are tender and spices are very fragrant and smell slightly toasted, 35–45 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 2 cups oil in a large saucepan over high until oil bubbles immediately when the edge of a tortilla touches the surface. Carefully fry onion, adding a little bit at time to avoid too much spattering and reducing heat as needed, until tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat process with chiles, about 5 minutes. Transfer to same baking sheet. Fry sage leaves until crisp, about 30 seconds. Transfer to baking sheet. Working one at a time, fry tortillas, turning once, until crisp, puffed in places, and deep golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer tostadas to baking sheet.
  3. Heat remaining 3 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Crack eggs into skillet, leaving space around each one, and cook until whites are set and edges are crisp, about 4 minutes. Season with salt.
  4. Spoon beet mixture onto tostadas, dividing evenly, and top each with an egg, then fried onion, chiles, sage, and salsa.

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