Well-Fried Beans
Submitted by rschauer
Homemade refried beans mashed to a creamy, lard-kissed puree with queso fresco crumbles and crispy tortilla chips. A 35-minute Mexican side dish that puts the canned stuff to shame.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
20 minREADY
35 minForget everything you think you know about refried beans from a can.
These well-fried beans are the real deal, cooked in rich, savory lard until they form a thick, silky puree with golden, sizzling edges.
The technique here is all about patience: mashing the beans gradually into a high-heat skillet, letting them dry out just enough to roll into a loose omelet shape before hitting the plate.
Topped with crumbled queso fresco and spiked with crispy tortilla triangles, this is the kind of side dish that steals the spotlight from whatever main course you had planned.
Chef Tips
- Use pinto or black beans cooked from dry for the best flavor. The broth they cook in is liquid gold for this recipe.
- Lard is traditional and delivers the most authentic taste, but you can substitute pork drippings or even bacon fat in a pinch.
- Don’t rush the mashing. Adding beans in batches lets you build a smoother, more even puree.
- The beans are ready to roll when they pull cleanly away from the pan’s surface.
Ingredients
Directions
Needs a 10 inch frying pan.
Heat the lard and fry the onion, without browning, until it is soft.
Add 1 cup of the beans and their broth to the pan and mash them well over a very high flame, with a bean masher or wooden potato masher.
Add the rest of the beans gradually, mashing them all the time, until you have a course puree.
When the purée begins to dry out and sizzle at the edges, it will start to come away from the surface of the pan.
As you let it continue cooking, tip the pan from side to side.
The purée will form itself into a loose roll.
This will take from 15 to 20 minutes.
Tip the roll, rather like folding an omelet, onto the serving dish and garnish with the cheese.
Spike it with the crisp triangles of tortillas.
Decorate.
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