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Huevos Rancheros Grits Casserole

Let chef John Currence show you how to tailgate at home—even though he’s pulling for the wrong SEC team.

Equipment

  • 1 cast-iron skillet

Ingredients  

Beans

  • 2 cups dried black beans
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup diced yellow onion
  • ¼ cup diced jalapeño pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 4 cups water
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ cup sherry vinegar
  • salt and black pepper

Grits

  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups chicken stock or water
  • 1 cup stone-ground grits
  • 6 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper

Tortilla Strips

  • vegetable oil for frying
  • 3 eight-inch flour or corn tortillas

Assembly

  • 8 eggs
  • salt and black pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • roasted tomato salsa, either homemade or your store-bought favorite, for serving
  • sliced avocado
  • hot sauce for serving (optional)

Directions 

Make the Beans:

  • Place the black beans in a medium saucepan and cover with water by 4 inches. Cover the pan with a kitchen towel or cover it loosely with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Soak the beans for at least 5 hours or up to overnight. Drain the beans, reserving ½ cup of the soaking water, and set aside.
  • In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Sauté the onion, jalapeño, and garlic until tender, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, and oregano and blend well. Add the beans, 4 cups water, lime juice, and bay leaf and cook over low heat until tender, about 1½ hours.
  • In a small saucepan, cook the sherry vinegar over medium heat until reduced by half. Add the reserved soaking water and reduce by a third. Remove ½ cup of the beans and puree them in a food processor or blender. Return the pureed beans to the pot and blend well. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Cool and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Make the Grits:

  • Combine the milk and chicken stock in a large saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and whisk in the grits. Cook, stirring constantly, until the grits are tender, about 20 minutes, depending on the grind (check the package directions; better quality grits will take longer to cook).
  • Blend in the butter, cream, Parmesan, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Stir well to combine and pour the grits into a large cast-iron skillet.

Make the Tortilla Strips:

  • Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet to 375 degrees. Roll the tortillas into a cylinder and cut them crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices. Carefully place tortilla strips in the hot oil and stir gently until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel, sprinkle with salt, and drain. (Note: You can also purchase premade tortilla corn chips and crumble instead.)

Assembly:

  • Spoon the grits into a large cast-iron skillet (one 14-inch or two smaller skillets) and roughly smooth the top.
  • Spread the beans over the grits and use a large serving spoon to make eight divots in the black beans and grits.
  • Crack an egg into each of the divots and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Bake until the whites of the eggs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and top with the tortilla strips, cilantro, salsa, avocado, and hot sauce (if you like). Serve hot.

Notes

Reprinted from Tailgreat: How to Crush It at Tailgating. Copyright © 2020 by John Currence. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Photographs copyright © 2020 by Peter Frank Edwards.