Frijoles Refritos (Mexican Refried Beans)

• servings: 4 cups
• total time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 pound (227g) dried pinto or black beans

Water

2 sprigs fresh epazote or oregano (see note)

1 medium white onion, 1/2 minced (about 1/2 cup; 26g), 1/2 left whole

2 medium cloves garlic

Kosher salt

6 tablespoons (77g) lard, bacon drippings, vegetable oil, or butter (see note)

Directions

In a large pot, cover the beans with cold water by at least 2 inches. Add herb sprigs, the whole onion half, and garlic cloves and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until beans are very tender, about 1 to 2 hours. Season with salt. Drain beans, reserving bean-cooking liquid. You should have about 3 cups of cooked beans; if you have more, measure out 3 cups of beans and reserve the rest for another use. Discard herb sprigs, onion, and garlic.

In a large skillet, heat lard, bacon drippings, or oil until shimmering, or butter until foaming, over medium-high heat. Add minced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in beans and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of reserved bean-cooking liquid. Using bean masher, potato masher, or back of a wooden spoon, smash the beans to form a chunky purée; alternatively, use a stick blender to make a smoother purée. Thin with more bean cooking water until desired consistency is reached. If refried beans become too wet, simmer, stirring, until thickened; if they become too dry, add more bean-cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Season with salt and serve.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: Makes about 4 cups
• Calories: 1517 kcal
• Total Fat: 80 g
• Saturated Fat: 31 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 73 mg
• Sodium: 1349 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 153 g
• Dietary Fiber: 37 g
• Total Sugars: 9 g
• Protein: 51 g