These Smoky Potatoes and Eggs Prove You Can Have It All

What are the building blocks of an easy, inexpensive meal? For staff writer Kendra Vaculin, nothing does the trick quite like 3 Eggs and a Can. Follow this series for her mealtime moves based around that simple, versatile formula—and all the directions it can go.

Of all the things you can buy in a can—a subset of pantry item that I think a lot about for this column—chiles in adobo are one of the most magical. I don’t use that word lightly; cooking often feels witchy and alchemic, and the magic of a bubbling pot or rising dough is never lost on me. But chipotles in adobo sauce are something else entirely: small, unassuming, shelf-stable packages loaded with so much flavor it definitely seems sorcery is involved. A little bit goes crazy far, which I think only adds to the hype. If you eat something suspiciously good at my house, like how-did-it-get-this-good good, the secret ingredient is probably a few of these glorious chiles.

Chipotles themselves are smoked and dried jalapeños, while the adobo here is tomato-based, subtly spiced and garlicky; when added to the liquid, the wrinkled peppers plump up, which makes them look like juicy little dates. You get both in the can—the rehydrated chipotles and the sauce they’re swimming in—which means two-for-one flavor and a myriad of ways to get it into your food. A chopped pepper or a spoonful of sauce adds complexity, heat, depth, and smoke anywhere you use it.

For maximum power, you can also use both. The star of this any-time-of-day potatoes and eggs recipe is a smoky riff on bravas sauce that you build in the same pan you’ll ultimately bake your eggs in. It's made with the chiles and some liquid from the can. While a few cubed potatoes roasted in the oven, you sauté onion and garlic until softened, then add the chopped chipotles and a bit of the sauce, tomato paste, paprika, and cumin.

Like with straight-up tomato paste for a pasta sauce, it’s important to fry the adobo sauce for a minute or two, to help concentrate its flavor and cook out any remaining tinny taste from the can. Then you loosen any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan with a drizzle of sherry vinegar and transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender with a roughly chopped fresh tomato. After a few pulses you’ll end up with a thick, mostly smooth paste that hits you on the nose the second you take the lid off. This sauce is not messing around.

Then all that’s left to do is toss your roasted potatoes in the sauce in your pan (no need to wash in between!) and crack a few eggs. You’ll stick the pan in the oven until the whites are just set, then top with dollops of mayonnaise for richness and chopped parsley for a fresh bite. It’s the combination of a runny yolk, creamy mayo, and bright, spicy sauce that really does it—plus the delightful texture of a once-crisp potato yielding under a blanket of chiles and tomato. You can share, but that’s a suggestion, not a rule. When I’m in the mood for big flavor and comfort food vibes, I’ve been known to house 80% of a pan all by myself.

Make use of the remainder of your chipotles in adobo can by giving nearly anything in your kitchen a bit of that specific, smoky heat. Salsas and dips are an obvious move, as are many sauces—a basic marinara turns the corner from plain to punchy with the addition of one or two chiles. Marinate protein with the blitzed up can dregs, particularly if it’s going on the grill later, where you can double down on smokiness. Transform ground pork into an almost-chorizo situation for tacos. Add a finely chopped pepper to your Sunday braise, stew, or chili for boosted heat and complexity. Go the drinks route and make an adobo-based hot sauce for dropping into Bloody Marys or micheladas. Or for the lowest lift, throw a chile into a slowly simmering pot of beans, to imbue the whole thing with a flavor you’ll only be able to describe as...magic.

Smoky Spanish Potatoes and Eggs

Originally Appeared on Epicurious