Kathleen's Kitchen ~ Breakfast Burritos from the Rez

In the past I have blogged about cooking with one of my sisters in her home in Wyoming.  Sissy is a teacher. Before moving to Wyoming she taught in one of the most remote areas of Arizona, the Navajo Indian Reservation in the north eastern part of the state.  Before going to visit her we would call to see if it rained or snowed recently.  The roads to Pinon were all dirt and turned into a bog after a rain, making the road almost impassable.  She has many amazing stories from the reservation.  Here is a letter she sent me last year, you can feel a little of the isolation that is part of life on the Rez. 

Hello Sis!

I have a breakfast burrito recipe for you. This slightly modified recipe came from my experience teaching on the Navajo Reservation fifteen years ago. Living in Pinon meant being 40 miles away from the nearest stoplight,  bank or  hamburger place. I didn't miss the light or the bank so much, but the lack of fast food was definitely an issue for me.

One of the librarians at school, Francine, ran a canteen out of her office. Her stash included granola bars, candy bars, grab bags of chips and cans of soda. For bellagonas far from a convenience store, Francine was a life saver. She made breakfast burritos that she sold out of a little insulated lunchbox too. These warm egg and potato bundles became a morning ritual for me.

There are many things I enjoyed on the Rez, but Francine's Breakfast Burritos I still make when I want something warm and satisfying for breakfast.


Francine's Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients:

one peeled medium potato
an eighth of a cup chopped fresh onion
two eggs
two flour tortillas
salt, pepper, season salt


Directions:

• Grate the potato using a processor or a cheese grater.
•  Season potato and onions then fry in a bit of oil until cooked completely and slightly browned. Set aside.
•  In a skillet, cook the eggs scrambled style. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
•  Heat the tortillas in a microwave for 30 seconds.
•  Use eggs, along with the potato and onion mixture, as filling for the burritos. Place half of the filling on each of the tortillas. Wrap diaper style. 
• Serve with hot sauce or salsa.

Makes two burritos.

I love the simplicity of this recipe Sis.  I couldn't resist the urge to heat it up a little with some Indian Spice.  I added mustard seeds, cumin seeds, a couple of curry leaves and a few chopped chillies to the oil before I fried the potato and then sprinkle a little fresh chopped cilantro to the mixture of potatoes and eggs before rolling the burritos.

Enjoy :)