Fried Grits with Green Chile and Chorizo

This dish is a testament of my worlds colliding. New Mexico, where I spent my late twenties and early thirties, taught me the versatility of green chile and chorizo and my homeland taught me grits.

This breakfast dish hits the points of flavor, texture, and color. The grits are crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, the chorizo brings all of the depth and meatiness with a firm bite and a crisp outer edge, and the chile brings a fruity spice that is delicious.

This dish might seem too involved for breakfast, but is actually a really good way to use leftovers. I know, I know, these kinds of recipes drive me nuts because my leftovers are not your leftovers.

I encourage you to look at the elements of this dish and think of what you have in your fridge. Maybe crisp up some day old rice in place of the grits or reheat a biscuit in the oven. Chorizo is not leftover but is a “tier 2” staple in my house but maybe you have regular breakfast sausage, smoked sausage, or even chicken. In place of chile, you can use leftover gravy from any meat and gravy dish. Let your mind run wild!

Fried Grits with Green Chile and Chorizo Ingredients
4 servings of fried grits
1 lb of Mexican chorizo
butter
4-8 eggs (1-2 eggs per serving)
Salt
Pepper
2 c green chile

Fried Grits with Green Chile and Chorizo Directions
Heat a frying pan on medium high heat.

Divide the chorizo into 6 balls. Put the ball between the palms of your hand and press to form a thin patty. Squeeze the center of the patty to create an indention. 

Put a patty into the frying pan. It should sizzle initially and continue to sizzle. If not, turn up the heat. You need the pan really hot so the patty develops a crust before the patty becomes dry.

When the meat is raw, it will stick to the pan. When the meat releases from the pan, it should have a dark brown underside. Flip it over and cook until the second side is well browned.

Remove the meat. Reduce the heat to medium. Add butter. When the butter is melted, crack an egg into the pan and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. You can flip the egg over if you like but make sure the yolk is still runny.

Warm the chile in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.

To assemble, Add ½ c of green chile to a plate and add fried grits. Top it with chorizo and an egg.

Notes
You can poach an egg instead of frying it.