Quesadillas with chorizo and potatoes Recipe
These quesadillas are a hearty Mexican street snack where spicy chorizo sausage meets soft potatoes and gooey cheese. They’re something between a baked casserole and a stuffed tortilla, perfect for a movie night or a quick dinner. The potatoes mellow the heat of the chorizo, so the dish is full of flavor but doesn’t burn your throat.
Quesadillas with chorizo and potatoes have the vibe of late-night Mexican street food – filling, spicy and incredibly satisfying after a long day. The potatoes soak up the aromatic chorizo fat, making the filling creamy inside, while the whole thing contrasts with the slightly crispy tortilla and stretchy cheese. It’s a dish that combines familiar, homely ingredients with the bold Spanish-Mexican character of the sausage.
Chef's tips
Cook the potatoes just until tender – if they fall apart, the filling will turn into a mash and it will be hard to distribute it evenly in the tortillas. It’s worth browning the chorizo well until you see darker, crispy bits – that’s when it gives maximum flavor and lightly toasts the potatoes. Flip the quesadillas in one confident motion, ideally by sliding them onto a plate and placing the pan on top, rather than trying to flip them in the air like a pancake.
How to serve
Serve the quesadillas immediately after frying, cut into wedges, with a dollop of lime sour cream and fresh coriander – they’re perfect for a movie night instead of pizza. To drink, serve pale beer, lime lemonade or homemade sangria if you’re hosting a bigger get-together. If you want to turn it into a fuller meal, add a simple salad of tomato, red onion and cucumber or a bowl of guacamole for dipping the quesadilla pieces.
Ingredients
- wheat tortilla medium tortillas, about 20 cm in diameter - 8 pieces
- chorizo raw sausage, casing removed, crumbled - 250 g
- potatoes peeled, cut into small cubes - 300 g
- yellow cheese well-melting, grated, e.g. gouda or cheddar - 200 g
- onion small, finely diced - 1 piece
- garlic finely chopped - 1 clove
- jalapeño pepper seeded, finely chopped, optional - 0.5 piece
- vegetable oil for frying - 2 tablespoons
- salt for seasoning the potatoes - 0.25 teaspoons
- black pepper freshly ground - 0.25 teaspoons
- fresh coriander chopped, for serving - 2 tablespoons
- 18% fat sour cream for serving as a sauce - 100 ml
- lime juice for the sour cream - 0.5 piece
Preparation
- Put the potatoes into a pot of salted water, bring to a boil and cook for 8–10 minutes, until tender but not falling apart. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes, until softened and slightly translucent but not browned.
- Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1 more minute, stirring.
- Add the crumbled chorizo and fry for 5–7 minutes, breaking it up with a spatula, until the sausage is browned and some fat has rendered out.
- Add the cooked potatoes, gently mix with the chorizo and season with salt and pepper. Fry for 2–3 minutes, until the potatoes are lightly browned and have absorbed the sausage flavor. Remove from the heat.
- In a small bowl, mix the sour cream with lime juice and a pinch of salt. It should thicken slightly – this is a simple sauce for serving.
- Heat a second large dry pan over medium heat. Place one tortilla on it, sprinkle with 1/8 of the grated cheese, spread a portion of the chorizo and potato filling on top, then sprinkle with more cheese.
- Cover with a second tortilla and gently press down with a spatula. Fry for 2–3 minutes, until the bottom is lightly browned and the cheese starts to melt.
- Carefully flip the quesadilla to the other side (it’s easiest to slide it onto a plate and invert the pan over it) and fry for another 2–3 minutes, until the tortilla is golden and the cheese is fully melted.
- Transfer the finished quesadilla to a board and cut into wedges. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, adding a little oil to the pan if needed.
- Serve hot, drizzled with the lime sour cream and sprinkled with fresh coriander.
Storage
Leftover cooked quesadillas can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days, wrapped or in an airtight container. Reheat in a dry pan or oven so the tortillas crisp up again; avoid microwaving if you want to keep them crunchy. The filling alone keeps for about 3 days in the fridge and can be used for fresh quesadillas or as a topping for baked potatoes.
