Papas con chorizo, or potatoes with Mexican sausage is a classic Mexican dish you can make when you crave a Mexican meal.
This recipe requires just a few ingredients, and it is super easy to make, especially when you have leftover cooked potatoes. Papas con chorizo are a staple in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, sopes, tortas and more.
What is papas con chorizo?
Papas con chorizo means, in English, potatoes with sausage. Mexican sausage, potatoes, and sometimes other ingredients cook together into a perfectly comforting dish.
Mexican chorizo is so rich in flavors and spices that the potatoes don’t need any extras. And who doesn’t like meat and potatoes?
What is chorizo?
Chorizo is a Mexican sausage, and it is made all over Mexico. Each region has its balance of spices, chiles, and herbs. The legend says that the best chorizo you can find is the one made in Toluca, west of Mexico City.
However, there are over 100 varieties of chorizos in Mexico, which is not surprising to me, when I think about how vast the Mexican cuisine is.
You can buy pork or beef chorizo. The pork is the popular one, and the meat in this sausage is chopped, not ground. It is seasoned and stuffed into casings made from the pig’s small intestines.
Most of the chorizo you will find in the stores is fresh, but some types are dried and preserved for later use.
When you cook the chorizo, you need to remove the skin, crumble the meat and cook it over low heat until the fat renders out.
Is Mexican chorizo the same as Spanish chorizo?
No, they are not the same. Spanish chorizo is a cured sausage, and the main ingredient besides pork meat is sweet or smoked paprika. This sausage doesn’t need to cook too much.
You can serve it as an appetizer, next to other cured meats, like Jamon Serrano, or add it to soups and stews for its exquisite flavor.
Mexican chorizo has chopped or ground pork or beef, and you have to cook it, as the meat inside is raw. It contains a variety of spices, chiles, and herbs. Some of the peppers used in making chorizo are chiles ancho and pasilla.
Cloves, coriander, oregano, cumin seeds, garlic, paprika and vinegar are only some of the few ingredients used in chorizo recipes.
Where to buy chorizo:
This note is for people living in the US, as in Mexico, you can find chorizo in any store and any market. First, try your local Latin/Mexican store, where you can find fresh and delicious sausage.
Otherwise, any large grocery store should carry at least one or two brands of pork chorizo.
If you want to buy it online, here are some brands that are good (affiliated links): El Mexicano Pork Chorizo Sausage, Cacique Pork Chorizo.
How to make this recipe of Mexican sausage with potatoes:
Step 1. Start with the potatoes.
Wash, peel, and cube them. Place the potatoes in a pot of salted water and boil them until tender. Drain and set aside.
The best potatoes for this dish are Russet or Yukon Gold. However, this dish should not be an expensive or fancy one, so any potato that holds its shape during cooking is a good choice.
Step 2. Cook the Mexican chorizo:
Remove the casing from the chorizo and place it in a pan on medium-low heat. Cook the meat, stirring to break up any clumps. It should not take more than 10 minutes to cook the sausage.
Do not overcook the meat. Just cook it only until the fat has rendered out.
Step 3. Assemble the dish:
Add the potatoes and Chipotle chilies to the pan with the chorizo and cook everything over medium heat, stirring once in a while, until the potatoes brown a little.
Set the mixture aside to cool before serving it.
What other ingredients you can add to this Mexican potatoes and sausage dish?
You can add chopped onion when you add the potatoes and some garlic powder, but it is not necessary. Mexican chorizo has lots of flavors, and the Chipotle chile brings smokiness to the dish.
How to serve papas con chorizo:
Papas con chorizo is the classic filling for breakfast tacos or some fun quesadillas. Add some strips of the white stringy queso de Oaxaca, and cook the quesadillas in the pan, to perfection.
Use any tortilla you like. I personally like the corn tortilla, but flour tortillas work as well.
This recipe is enough for 12 quesadillas OR 12 tacos. If you want to serve this dish as a light main course, it should be enough for four servings.
Papas con chorizo can be paired with fresh or cooked green tomatillo salsa, which is the traditional salsa used for the dish. Add some chopped green onions and chopped cilantro for a perfect taco.
Store them in the refrigerator for a maximum of 4-5 days. Leftovers can be reheated on the stove or in the microwave.
More Mexican recipes to love:
Instant Pot Caldo De Pollo – Whenever you are in Mexico, and no matter how hot or humid the climate is, soup appears on the menu. While you can always buy canned soup and call it a day, making a soup from scratch is well worthwhile. It is so easy when you own an Instant Pot. (If you don’t own one, you either go and buy, or you make the same recipe from scratch. )
Chicken Tinga – This is an authentic Mexican chicken tinga. Tinga is a dish made with shredded chicken in a delicious tomato sauce and Chile Chipotle in Adobo sauce. Don’t bother looking for another recipe, as this is the best authentic tinga recipe you will find out there.
Mexican Pork in Green Sauce- Puerco en salsa verde – This recipe is a shortcut version of a popular dish considered classic in Mexican cuisine. It is easy to make and perfect to serve in tacos, with rice, beans, or a salad.
Tinga Poblana- Mexican Pork Tinga– This is a special dish that you can find on every menu in Puebla, Mexico. Pork and chorizo are cooked together with potatoes and chipotle chiles in a tomato sauce that is spectacular.
Easy Chicken Tacos– You cannot go wrong with these tacos. Make this recipe yours by adding toppings to your cooked chicken. Versatile and delicious.
Check out the web story for this recipe: How to make Potatoes with Mexican Sausage (Papas Con Chorizo)
Papas Con Chorizo (Potatoes With Mexican Sausage)
Papas con chorizo or potatoes with Mexican sausage is a classic Mexican dish you can make when you crave a Mexican meal.
This recipe requires just a few ingredients, and it is super easy to make, especially when you have leftover cooked potatoes. Papas con chorizo are a staple in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, sopes, tortas and more.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 4 medium-small) Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, cooked and diced (or a bag of frozen diced potatoes)
- 9 ounces Mexican chorizo (or 3-4 links of chorizo, casing removed)
- salt and pepper to your taste (might not be necessary if chorizo is salty)
- Optional: 2 canned chiles chipotles in adobo, chopped small
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes: Wash, peel, and cube the potatoes. Place them in a pot of salted water and boil them for 10-15 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside.
- Cook the Mexican chorizo: Place a pan on medium-low heat and add the sausage meat. Cook, stirring to break up any clumps. It should take about 10 minutes before the meat gets cooked through and the fat has rendered out. Do not let the meat become hard and overcooked.
- Assemble the dish: Add the potatoes and the chilies and let the mixture cook over medium flame, stirring it from time to time until the potato has browned a little. Set the mixture aside to cool off a little before serving it.
Notes
What other ingredients can go into the recipe (all these ingredients are optional):
- small onion chopped fine- you add it with the potatoes.
- garlic powder
How to serve this Papas Con Chorizo:
Papas con chorizo is the classic filling for breakfast tacos or some fun quesadillas. Add some strips of the white stringy queso de Oaxaca, and cook the quesadillas in the pan to perfection.
This recipe is enough for 12 quesadillas OR 12 tacos. If you want to serve this dish as a light main course, it should be enough for four servings.
Potatoes with Mexican Sausage can be paired with fresh or cooked green tomatillo salsa, which is the traditional salsa used for the dish. Add some chopped green onions and chopped cilantro for a perfect taco.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 336Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 885mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 17g