Serves6 (main course)
- Active time:45 min
- Start to finish:45 min
July 2008
Once a way to make use of stale tortillas (by toasting and/or frying them), tostadas are so good that it wasn’t long before people simply started using fresh tortillas. After biting into these layers of flavor—crunchy, creamy, luscious—you’ll see why.
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1
medium white onion
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1
tomatoes, quartered
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2
large garlic cloves
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1 or 2
fresh serrano chiles, stemmed
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1/2 cup plus 2
tablespoons
vegetable oil, divided
-
3
cups
shredded iceberg lettuce
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6
large radishes, halved and sliced
-
1/2
cup
chopped cilantro, divided
-
1
rotisserie chicken, meat coarsely shredded (4 cups)
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6
(6-inch) corn tortillas
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1
(1-lb) can refried beans, heated
-
1
avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled
-
1/2
cup
Mexican crema or sour cream
-
1/4
cup
crumbled queso añejo (aged white cheese, also called cotija) or ricotta salata
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Preheat broiler.
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Cut half of onion into 3/4-inch wedges, then chop remainder. Toss onion wedges, tomatoes, garlic, and whole chiles with 2 Tbsp oil in a 4-sided sheet pan, spreading in 1 layer.
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Broil about 4 inches from heat until softened and charred, 10 to 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, toss together lettuce, radishes, chopped onion, and half of cilantro.
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Purée tomato mixture in a blender along with one or both roasted serranos (to taste) and 1 tsp salt until smooth (use caution when blending hot foods). Transfer purée to a bowl and stir in chicken, remaining cilantro, and salt to taste.
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Heat remaining 1/2 cup oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry tortillas, 1 at a time, turning once or twice and pressing with tongs to immerse, until golden brown, 45 to 60 seconds per tortilla. Drain briefly on paper towels, then transfer to plates.
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Spread tortillas thickly with heated refried beans, then top with chicken mixture. Slice avocado over tostadas and dollop with crema.
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Mound lettuce mixture on top and sprinkle with cheese.
