Trudy’s Style Huevos Motuleños

Trudy's Style Huevos Motuleños

I think this dish was my first attempt at recreating a meal I ate often when I was a waitress at Trudy’s Texas Star restaurant while in college in Austin. Yep, THE Trudy’s, the original one off of Guadalupe near campus that has been open since 1977. I had the pleasure of working the night shift on weekends, so got to serve crowds of blathering, tipsy college students with the munchies until four in the morning. Trudy’s serves breakfast all day and night, and this was such a satisfying meal to end my shift with in the wee hours of the morning. I just love the combination of oozing egg yolk with the surprising textures and tastes proffered by this recipe. And it looks pretty too, until you dig into it. It does get quite messy but don’t let that stop you from trying this. Just have a knife, fork AND spoon to scoop up every bite.

Huevos Motuleños is a dish that originated in the town of Motul in the Yucatán. While it contains  plaintains and even peas mixed into the sauce in Central America, this version uses more traditional Tex-Mex ingredients. My husband and I are so proud of this dish that we even served it to a group of people for Father’s Day Brunch!

Trudy’s Style Huevos Motuleños

4 corn tortillas
Vegetable oil for frying
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
Sliced ham, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 eggs
Salsa of choice, homemade or jarred
Shredded cheese, any kind
Sour cream
1 avocado, sliced thin

Making this is an orchestra of timing. Have cookie sheet and four plates ready for assembly. Pour a layer of oil in a large hot skillet, and fry each corn tortilla on each side until crisp, drain on paper towels then place them on the cookie sheet. Heat up the black beans and scoop a layer of beans onto each tortilla, then put the ham on top of that.  If you have a helper, have them do this while you cook the eggs. Pour the oil out of the skillet but don’t wipe it. Crack the eggs into the skillet and fry them until over easy to medium, or to taste. I like mine runny in the middle. You might have to use two skillets if you don’t have one big enough for eight eggs, or you could just use one egg for each person. When the eggs are done, place two gently on each tortilla. Top that with the salsa and shredded cheese then put the cookie sheet under the broiler until the cheese is melted. With your egg turner, pick up each tortilla and slide one onto each plate. Garnish with sour cream and avocado. Have at it!

Note: I haven’t made this in the recent past and the only photo I could find in my archives was a little blurry. Sorry about that.