Lard-Fried Corn Tortilla Chips
Tortilla chips are like the culmination of all things inflammatory. Start with genetically modified grain, add a heavy dose of polyunsaturated vegetable oils, and you’ve got yourself a bag of heart attack.
Because, as we all know, it’s not the animal fats and cholesterol that are causing heart disease. Or, at least that’s what we think we know… for now.
Either way, I’m sticking with fats from animals you can raise yourself. And I’ll fry up whatever delicious goodness we can in these fats and feed them happily to my family because people ate that way for a long time before heart disease and diabetes epidemics and the modern insane way of living and eating.
Oh, and because they are just doggone delicious.
These shallow-fried tortilla chips are made very simply with a cast-iron skillet. Not only is that just the right size for shallow-frying, but when my skillet needs a good seasoning, why not get some delicious chips out of the deal?
As for the tortillas, I recommend anything non-GMO. Homemade are the best, obviously, and I make them fairly inexpensively with this non-gmo masa flour. But if you can find a local variety of non-GMO tortillas, like we did, then you can use those.
This isn’t exactly a complicated recipe, more like a technique. But for those keeping track here’s how I do it:
- Put your 10″ skillet over medium heat and add two big old spoonfuls of lard, probably 1/3 – 1/2 cup.
- Stack 10-12 tortillas together and cut them into quarters.
- Wait for your fat to get pretty hot. I test this by placing my open hand just above the lard coating the bottom of the pan. When it starts to feel pretty hot, it’s ready.
- Throw the cut tortilla triangles in one after another until the pan is full. This is about 7-8 triangles and I say throw because you don’t want your hand down in that hot mess if it splatters.
- Allow to cook 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and delicious. Move to a plate and sprinkle with some good sea salt.
- Repeat with remaining tortilla triangles. Towards the end you will have very little fat left in the pan. You can tough it out and try to push the tortillas down into the lard, or you can throw a bit more lard in there.
We like them served warm with some beans and lacto-fermented salsa. That’s just one serving suggestion, but it is an awesome one.
What do you like to fry up in lard?
Great idea! I have a big bag of tortillas in the fridge left over. I wasn’t planning on using them because I’m trying to go paleo. But you got me with homemade tortilla chips! I love lard and use it for all my cooking. I also used your lacto fermented salsa recipe and loved it! Such a great way to get your daily fermented stuff in. Thanks for a great blog!
Oh Yum!!! I haven’t tried this before. I do process lard, mostly to use in biscuits and bread. It gives them such a good flavor (add some cracklings to it too)!
I would love to make our own tortilla chips. Would you please tell me which tortillas are not GMO? I have made my own corn tortillas, but I have not been happy with them.
Those look delicious! I must admit that I grow “celebrity” tomatoes, not for the lovely red orbs, but for the green ones. I think they make the best green tomatoes for frying. Celebrity green tomatoes sliced 1/4 inch thin with the lightest dusting of flour is exactly what I would like fried up in lard!
“What do you fry up in lard?” Everything! Popcorn, fried chicken, okra or squash, sweet potatoes, eggs, refried beans and black-eyed peas, potatoes, venison or pork cutlet. . . Serve any of it up on a warmed plate and you’re good to go. Then, make soap out of the used lard. Last time I had it checked (I don’t mess with that kind of stuff much anymore) my cholesterol was around 140. Shannon, I bet it’s dawned on you, though, that if you’re producing your own fat fried foods turn into a bit of a luxury, huh?
Judy On Big Turtle Creek
Judy – Yes, these are a treat! I don’t make these often, but cook with a huge plop of lard just about every day and it certainly makes everything tastier. 🙂
Wow – my mouth is watering those look so good! I’m excited to try that! Like Judy, I use the lard from our pigs in just about everything – and I really like to use it in place of butter for grilled cheese sandwiches and toast and on tortillas when I’m making quesadillas.
Thanks, Shannon!
Ok so I am new to all of this but am loving lard… I can’t believe how much better corn tortillas are fried in lard!! I am having an issue with my lard foaming… Is that normal? It starts off just fine but about tortilla #3 it’s a foamy mess foaming up and over the sides of my cast iron HELP!
Britany – Hmm… my first thought is one of two things: 1. The starch in the tortillas are causing the foam up and you need to use less lard. 2. There is some sort of impurity in your lard. Did you render it yourself so you know what kind of quality you have?
Do you render your own lard? And is it from a grassfed or organically fed hog? Also, I haven’t decided whether I want to eat pig or not, is there another good similar animal fat?