Huevos Rancheros

Method

1. char10 min
   dry comal or skillet, medium-high
   tomatoes + serranos + unpeeled garlic, turning until the tomato skins split and blacken in patches and the chiles blister — the burnt skin is the smoke, so do not peel it off; leave the garlic in its jacket or it scorches bitter before the tomatoes are soft
2. mix2 min
   blender, coarse
   charred tomatoes + chiles + peeled garlic + raw onion + oregano, pulsed to a loose purée with visible flecks — a fully smooth blend whips in air and turns the salsa pale orange
3. fry8 min
   medium-high, then reduced
   2 tbsp oil until it shimmers, + the purée all at once so it hisses and darkens at the edges + salt — frying the blended tomato in hot fat is the whole point of salsa ranchera: it drives off raw water, deepens the colour to brick, and binds the chile heat into the oil. Reduce until it coats a spoon = salsa
4. fry3 min
   remaining oil, medium-high
   tortillas, 20-30 seconds a side, until pliable and just starting to blister — this seals the starch so the tortilla holds up under wet salsa instead of dissolving to paste. Drain and keep warm
5. fry4 min
   medium, uncrowded
   eggs in the tortilla-frying oil, spaced so the whites do not merge, until the edges are lacy and brown and the whites are set but the yolks still liquid + black pepper — the runny yolk is a second sauce and a hard yolk breaks the dish
6. top2 min
   tortillas (+ refried beans spread over them, if using) + fried eggs + hot salsa spooned around the yolks rather than over them + cotija + cilantro + optionals at the table; serve immediately, because the tortilla softens fast