This is a very simple taco, common throughout Mexico, that I ate at whatever local market was nearby on almost all of my mornings there. It was always accompanied by copious amounts of orange juice freshly squeezed with a portable juicer at a neighboring street cart. They are a great way to start a day and one of my longtime favorites. Consider this recipe a tasty base for ingredients—whatever sounds good to you. Green chile powder is a nice addition, as is chipotle powder.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 tacos

　　6 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　10 large eggs

　　6 ounces ham, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 1/4 cups)

　　3/4 cup grated Cheddar or jack cheese (about 3 ounces)

　　8 (5 1/2-inch) soft white corn tortillas (page 13), for serving

　　Garnish: Chopped fresh cilantro leaves

　　

Step 1

Preheat a large griddle or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and spread it to coat the cooking surface. Crack the eggs on top of each other on the hot griddle. Quickly sprinkle the ham and cheese on top of the eggs and chop the pile a few times with the edge of a wooden spatula. Move the pile around and continue to mix it while it is cooking. Cook the mixture until the eggs are done, but not dry, about 4 minutes. The cheese will brown slightly, but that adds flavor. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

　　

Step 2

To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the eggs equally between the tortillas and top with salsa. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some egg and top with salsa and a sprinkle of cilantro. Fold and eat right away.

　　Tacos by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Copyright © 2009 by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Mark Miller is the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has started and owned thirteen different restaurants on three continents from 1979 to 2008. He is the author of ten books with nearly 1 million copies in print, including Tacos, The Great Chile Book, The Great Salsa Book, and Coyote Cafe. Mark currently works in International Culinary Consulting and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Benjamin Hargett is a travel-loving chef who has cooked in Europe, the Carribean, Mexico, and the United States, where he worked with Mark Miller at the Coyote Café for many years.