There are enchilada recipes and then there are enchiladas like my MIL made. It took me 12 years to perfect this dish, because by the time I met her, she was no longer able to cook them, so I never got to watch her do it. It was my FIL who wrote the recipe down, but that was just the beginning of my learning to make them.

The ingredients for these stacked enchiladas are pretty basic: hamburger browned with onion, cheese, enchilada sauce, salad, corn tortillas, eggs. The secret is in the technique. For years I tried to make them so that all the plates hit the table at the same time, and that was my error. Well, that and frying the tortillas too long. The way to do it is to fry the tortillas just enough to soften them, and build each plate as you go, and then move on to the next one. And always top them with a fried egg!

So, fry the tortilla, dip it in sauce, put some meat and cheese and salad on it, and repeat if desired until it is as tall as you like it. Adults need 2-3 layers, young children only one. Put another fried and dipped tortilla on top (if you want it) and fry an egg till the white is firm but the yolk is not and put it on top (if you want it). Pour some extra sauce over the whole thing, and enjoy.

My family loves these, and we’re having them tomorrow night, I think.

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