And I wrote this recipe as a last-ditch effort to stop throwing so much money at chorizo tostadas from my favorite neighborhood spot. Combining pork breakfast sausage with smokey cumin seed, ginger, and miso creates a base of layered flavor profiles. Combine that with just-fried salty tortillas, sour cream and not one, but two, homemade salsas, and you’ll reach taste bud nirvana.

Pork Tostadas with Grilled Tomatillo Salsa & Grilled Peach Pico

For Tostadas

6 x Corn Tortillas
Neutral oil for frying, 8 - 16 oz depending on the size of your pot
Coarse kosher salt
Alternatively, packaged tostadas

For Pork

12 oz ground breakfast sausage (or buy whole breakfast sausages and remove casing)
1 tsp raw minced garlic
1 tsp raw minced ginger
½ tsp cumin seed
1 ½ white miso
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp lime juice
Sour cream
Grilled Tomatillo Salsa
Grilled Peach Pico

Start by prepping your salsas. They come together quickly and will keep in your fridge for tostada leftovers, or for eating with other meals throughout the week.

In a medium/large pan, heat a little neutral or olive oil, just enough to lightly coat the bottom. Add minced ginger and garlic and cook until light golden brown, being sure not to burn. Then, add your ground pork, breaking up the meat with a spoon or spatula, and letting it brown all over. After a minute or two, add paprika and cumin seeds. Mix and continue to cook a few minutes, letting the pork get crispy in its own fat. Then, turn the heat down and stir in your miso. After a few minutes you can turn the heat way down, or completely off while we make the tostadas.

When it comes to frying at home without a deep frier there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, you’'ll need a decent amount of neutral oil. Neutral oils, like safflower, canola, and other vegetable oils have a high smoke point, meaning they can safely be heated to a temperature high enough to fry your food. Ideal temperature for frying is between 350-400F.

You’ll also need a large pot or a high walled sauce pan or cast iron pan. For our needs, your pot must at least be larger in diameter than your tortillas. A good rule of thumb is that you should use enough oil in your pot to fully submerge your food, but so it comes no more than half way up the sides of the pot. The reason for that is when you add ingredients, their inherent moisture causes the oil to bubble up and you do not want a spill over of hot oil.

Since we’re frying something flat (tortillas), you won’t need quite as much oil here. I used roughly 8 oz of oil in a 10 inch cast iron pan.

Another important rule of thumb for frying is to remember that dryness is key. You always want your ingredients as dry as possible and never want to get water in or near hot oil as it could cause it to splash or even dangerously boil over. In our case, tortillas are inherently dry already, so just make sure you keep water away from your pot and tools while frying.

Start your oil over a medium heat, bringing it up to 350F, using a frying or candy thermometer to carefully check. Once oil is hot enough, using stainless steel, high temperature safe tongs, carefully lower in your first tortilla. If the oil is hot enough, bubbles will form around it when added.

Keep an eye on the tortilla, flipping it after a minute or two to evenly fry on both sides. When the tortilla is light golden brown on both sides, carefully remove and place on a paper towel to drain grease. Take care that tortilla will be hot, but immediately sprinkle both sides with coarse salt.

It’s important not to add too much food to your frying oil at once, as this drops the temperature of the oil, and your food will come out soggy, so I recommend just frying tortillas one at a time.

Once all tortillas have been fried, reheat your ground pork over a medium heat. On each tortilla, spread a large spoonful of sour cream. Top with ground pork and peach pico. Finish with a few dollops of your grilled tomatillo salsa, and eat immediately.

SAFETY NOTES: “Never use water, flour, or sugar to put out a grease fire… and do not try to carry a flaming pot outdoors. To suffocate a fire, use baking soda, a damp towel, or a fire extinguisher specifically designed for grease fires.” - MORE ON DEEP FRYING AT HOME CAN BE READ HERE