Neighbor's Favorite Recipe: Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burrito

Has this ever happened to you: You ever wake up on a Saturday and while you're doing your morning rituals, your spouse yells to you, "What do ya want for breakfast?"

The next time that happens, you'll be ready because Gloria Hernandez has the answer — a breakfast burrito.

With translation help from Alex Hernandez, I talked with Gloria, the long-time owner along with her husband, Salvador, of Taqueria Guadalajara in southern Yuba City.

Gloria said she chose a breakfast burrito recipe to share because, "It's something simple, and it's a recipe that people will find easy to make."

She's proud of the tasty morning meal, which is also served at the restaurant, because, "We make them every day from scratch."

Gloria said she learned to make the burritos and other dishes while she was attending a Franciscan culinary school in the late 1970s in Guadalajara, Mexico.

It's not just her breakfast burritos that draw in her loyal customers. She said another dish that's won high praise is her Chile Rellenos, which she attributes to using fresh ingredients and a special topping. "The sauce that we put on top is called Rellenos Salsa; I think that's what people like the most."

Gloria said that when she opened her restaurant in 1991, about a year after their neighboring business, WinCo, opened, the only things around them were orchards. She said that wasn't the only difference back then; there were also a lot fewer Mexican restaurants in the area, which meant there was a lot less competition.

Taqueria Guadalajara was their second restaurant. They also own one in Woodland, where Gloria lives.

Talking about the recipe, Gloria said it takes less than five minutes to make — once you've boiled and peeled the potatoes, which you can do the night before. After that, it's simply grilling up those potatoes after you've mashed them a bit, scrambling the eggs and bacon together, putting everything onto a warmed large tortilla and sprinkling on some Monterey Jack cheese — then rolling it up to be served to a hungry customer.

The breakfast burrito can also be made using chorizo or ham instead of the bacon, Gloria said.

BACON, EGG AND CHEESE BREAKFAST BURRITO

Preparation time: Less than five minutes (once the potatoes are boiled)

Ingredients

For each burrito:

2 eggs

6 ounces bacon, chopped into small pieces and cooked until crisp

1⁄2 cup boiled potatoes, see cook's notes

1 large flour tortilla

1-2 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Cook's notes: Boil the potatoes in salted water for 25 minutes. Drain, then peel. This can be done the night before. Before assembling the burrito, slightly mash the potato and grill it in a teaspoon of butter until warmed through.

Preparation

Break the eggs into a skillet and scramble. Add the pre-cooked bacon and potatoes and mix together well with the eggs. Let the mixture sit for a minute to be sure it's thoroughly cooked and heated through.

Transfer to a large warmed flour tortilla and sprinkle with the cheese. Roll and serve.

Can substitute chorizo or ham instead of the bacon.