New Mexico Stacked Red Chile Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 12 corn tortillas, 6 inch
• 3 oz dried New Mexico red chile pods, about 15 pods
• 4 cups water
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups shredded longhorn or mild cheddar
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, for softening tortillas
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 tomato, diced

Before you cook

• Pull the stems from the chile pods and shake out the seeds.
• Finely chop the white onion and shred the cheese.
• Dice the tomato and shred the lettuce.
• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Steps

1. Toast the chile pods in a dry skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds a side, just until they smell sweet.
2. Put the toasted pods in a saucepan with the water and garlic and bring to a boil.
3. Turn off the heat and let the chiles soak for 20 minutes until fully soft.
4. Blend the chiles, garlic and 3 cups of their soaking water until completely smooth.
5. Pour the puree through a fine strainer, pressing hard on the solids, and discard the skins.
6. Heat the 2 tablespoons oil in the saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour.
7. Cook the roux for 2 minutes until it smells nutty but stays pale.
8. Whisk in the strained chile along with the oregano, cumin and salt.
9. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes, stirring often, until it coats a spoon.
10. Heat the 1/2 cup oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat and dip each tortilla in for 5 seconds a side to soften, draining them on paper towels.
11. Spoon a little sauce onto four ovenproof plates or a large baking dish.
12. Lay down a tortilla, ladle on sauce, and scatter with cheese and chopped onion.
13. Repeat twice more on each stack so you have three tortillas per serving, finishing with sauce and a heavy layer of cheese.
14. Bake the stacks for 12 minutes, until the cheese melts and the sauce bubbles at the edges.
15. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and fry the eggs for 3 minutes, until the whites set and the yolks stay runny.
16. Slide a fried egg onto each stack and garnish with lettuce and diced tomato.