Real Refried Beans

You don’t have to use lard here, but it’s traditional and really delicious. (It’s also not even bad for you, but I won’t tackle that argument here.) What’s not traditional—but is good—is butter. If you’re going to cook these in advance and reheat them, do so with a little more fat. Other beans you can use: any red or pink beans.

1/2 cup lard, bacon fat, or drippings from Mexican chorizo, butter, or 1/4 cup neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn

3 to 4 cups drained cooked or canned pinto, pink, or black beans, liquid reserved

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon ground cumin, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne, plus more to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)

• Put the fat in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. When hot, add the beans and mash with a large fork or potato masher until they’re the texture you like.
• Add the onion, cumin, and cayenne, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and continue to cook and mash, stirring, until the beans are more or less broken up (some remaining chunks are fine) and the onion is lightly cooked, about 5 minutes more. Thin with a little of the bean liquid until you get the consistency you want. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Garnish with cilantro if you like.

MAKES: 4 servings

TIME: 20 minutes with cooked beans