Here's a young butcher making longaniza in a market in Mexico City. Longaniza is chorizo's first cousin, and you can use either of those sausages in this recipe. I prepare this dish with whichever of the two I have on hand. You might wonder which is which: here's a little trick I made up a long time ago so I wouldn't forget. Chorizo is made as short links, and longaniza isn't made in links, so the sausage is long--the way you see it in the photo.
One of the simplest and most popular dishes in a Mexican household is longaniza or chorizo con papas--Mexican spicy sausage with potatoes, onions, and often a small amount of chile serrano to kick up the spice factor. I decided to prepare this earlier in the week, as I had some longaniza in the refrigerator that needed to be used.
These three ingredients plus the longaniza and a little salt are all you need to prepare longaniza con papas!
Minced chile serrano and diced onions.
Here's the longaniza, still in its casing. Slide a sharp knife between the casing and the meat; remove and discard the casing.
The raw potatoes, diced. The only potato we have in my part of Mexico is called papa Alfa, and there's really no other choice of variety. The potato grower's union here is super-strong and won't normally allow other kinds of potatoes to come into the country. Alfa is king. You, however, might be able to find russets or Yukon Golds where you are, and you might like to try those instead of Alfas.
Longaniza con Papas
Spicy Sausage with Potatoes
Utensils
2-quart deep pot with lid
2-quart heavy skillet
Colander
Big spoon
Ingredients
Half a kilo (approximately one pound) of longaniza or chorizo**
Between half a kilo and a kilo of potatoes--the recipe is very flexible.
One chile serrano, minced (optional)
One medium white onion, cut into small dice (about 1/4" square)
A splash of vegetable oil
Salt to taste
**In your supermarket or Latin market, you may see a sausage labeled chorizo español. This chorizo is much firmer than Mexican chorizo and is best for grilling, not for preparing this dish.
Procedure
Add water to the pot to about 2/3 level. Salt the water, cover the pot and bring the it to a boil. While the pot is coming to a boil, peel and dice the potatoes. Add them to the boiling water and set your timer for 20 minutes. I checked at 15 minutes, but the potatoes weren't yet tender. Fork-tender is what you're looking for. When the potatoes are tender, turn them into the colander and allow to drain well. Set aside.
You want your longaniza to fry to this color. It's still tender and moist. Compare the color in this photo with the color in the photo above, before you cook it.
If you haven't done so already, peel the casing from the longaniza and break the sausage into short sections. Add a splash of vegetable oil--a tablespoon or so--to your skillet and let it heat to a shimmer. Add the longaniza to the skillet and, stirring regularly, use your big spoon to break it into smaller and smaller pieces. As it fries, it will become a darker color than it was when raw. When it's a uniformly darker color, scoop it out into a small bowl and reserve it. Be sure to leave the longaniza grease in the skillet--it will add a lot of flavor to the potatoes.
Add the potatoes to the skillet and fry until they take on the slightly red color of the grease.
In the same grease, sauté the diced onions and minced chile serrano until they are soft but not browned.
Last, add the reserved longaniza and any remaining grease in the bowl where they it was reserved.
Taste for salt and correct, and it's ready to eat. Longaniza con papa is a super-quick and delicious supper, and 100% traditionally Mexican.
Serve with tortillas for making tacos and an agua fresca. Buen provecho! (Good appetite!)
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