Tailgate Breakfast Burritos

I love REAL COOKING at a Hawkeye tailgate!

I enjoy the interaction with other Hawkeye football fans as we share sample tastes and compare menu choices on game days.  And last week we were surprised to learn that the tailgaters on both sides of us were also serving a Mexican themed tailgate menu that day.  I guess great minds think alike!

Some parts of our tailgate meals are easier to prepare in my own kitchen and then finished at the party…and the meat component of our Breakfast Burritos was one of those items.  So on Friday afternoon, I browned about four pounds of mild bulk sausage along with one large diced onion and several cloves of minced garlic.  When the meat was fully cooked, I drained off the excess grease. Then I added a can of green chilies along with 4-5 seeded and diced Roma tomatoes and some salt and pepper.  I cooled this mixture and refrigerated it overnight.  (You could also add jalapenos or other peppers if you’d like.)

When we arrived at our tailgating spot on Saturday morning, I warmed the sausage mixture in a pan on the grill, then I set it aside.  Next, I warmed some large flour tortilla shells by laying them directly on the grill top, flipping several times.  I wrapped the warm shells in tin foil and set those aside too.

When some of our group were ready to begin eating, I placed 4-6 eggs in a bowl and whisked them up.  I took a large scoop of the sausage mixture and placed it in a non stick skillet sprayed generously with cooking spray.  I dumped in the eggs into the sausage mixture and stirred constantly until the eggs were soft-set but NOT dry.

Then I grabbed a warm tortilla and laid down either a slice of  American cheese or a sprinkle of Mexican Cheese Blend…whatever our guests preferred.  Then I topped the cheese with the cooked egg and sausage mixture and rolled the tortilla into a burrito shape.

I repeated this method until everyone was served, and by only making a few burritos at a time, everyone got a fresh, hot one when they were ready to eat.

Some people chose to have me layer some salsa inside the tortilla on top of the eggs before rolling, but others preferred to top the burrito with sour cream and salsa.  (It’s a free county I say…so whatever floats YOUR boat.  I aim to please!)

 It was a fun, interactive way to serve breakfast to a crowd on a BEAUTIFUL Autumn morning…