Country Boys' Chorizo Huaraches from 'New York à la Cart

Ingredients

• 1 pound chorizo 
• 0.5 cup cotija cheese 
• 5 teaspoons cilantro leaves fresh coarsely chopped
• 1 small head lettuce coarsely chopped
• 3.5 cups i would have liked to use an version of masa but i couldn't find one at the time of making the tamal (corn flour)
• 1 cup refried beans divided
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 5 medium tomatoes diced
• 0.5 cup vegetable oil for frying
• 0.5 medium onion white yellow thinly sliced

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• plastic wrap
• grill
• spatula
• rolling pin

Directions

1. Heat a large cast-iron skillet on high for about 5 minutes.
2. Remove chorizo from their casing and add to the pan. Reduce heat to medium-high and fry chorizo, breaking it into small pieces with a spatula as it cooks. Cook until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and drain off grease. You can reserve grease to fry huaraches, if desired.
4. Place the masa harina in a large bowl and mix with salt. Slowly add about 2 1/4 cups water and mix with hands to reach right consistency. The dough should be soft but not sticky, and you may need to use more or less water. Form 6 roughly palm-size, egg-shaped balls. Press your fingers into the center of each one by hand into circles to form a deep trench in the center so the ball of dough resembles a canoe.
5. Add 1/2 teaspoon of beans to the middle of each ball of dough and pinch the dough to seal and restore the egg shape.
6. Place dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap and press gently to flatten then cover with another large sheet of plastic wrap and use a rolling pin, to stretch the stuffed dough to form a large oval about 1/4-inch thick.
7. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (or reserved chorizo grease) to a flat grill or large cast-iron skillet and heat over medium-high for one minute. Carefully place huarache onto heated surface for about 3 minutes, flip over, and grill for another 2 minutes or until both sides are golden brown.
8. Spread with a couple of tablespoons of remaining refried beans. Top with chorizo, chopped lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese.