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Pambazos (Guajillo-Dipped Chorizo & Potato Sandwiches)

Mexico City style pambazos are soft bolillo or telera rolls dipped in a smoky guajillo chile sauce, lightly fried until crisp, then stuffed with papas con chorizo and topped with shredded lettuce, crema, crumbled cheese, and salsa verde.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Guajillo Sauce

  • 15 guajillo chiles stems removed and seeds removed
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 white onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt start here, then adjust
  • 3 cups water for simmering chiles, plus more as needed for blending

Bread

  • 6 to 8 bolillo or telera rolls
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil for lightly frying bread, plus more as needed
  • Filling
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil to cook potatoes, more if needed
  • 3 to 4 medium russet potatoes peeled and diced small
  • 1/2 white onion diced
  • 1 1/2 pounds pork chorizo
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste

Toppings

  • 2 cups shredded lettuce romaine or iceberg
  • 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
  • 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
  • 1/4 cup cotija cheese optional, or use instead of queso fresco
  • Salsa verde to taste (spicy recommended)

Instructions
 

Guajillo Sauce

  • Add the deseeded guajillo chiles to a pot and cover with water; bring to a gentle simmer. Keep the chiles submerged so they soften evenly.
  • Add the white onion and garlic cloves to the pot with the chiles and continue simmering until the chiles are fully pliable.
  • Remove the softened chiles, onion, and garlic from the pot.
  • Transfer the softened guajillo chiles to a blender along with the softened onion and garlic clove.
  • Add Mexican oregano, chicken bouillon, and salt to the blender.
  • Add regular water to help everything blend smooth (chile soaking water is optional), add more as needed until the sauce is smooth and pourable.
  • Blend until completely smooth. A high-powered blender makes this extra silky, and if your blender isn’t as strong, blend longer and strain if needed. Pour the sauce into a shallow bowl for dipping.

Papas con Chorizo Filling

  • Peel the potatoes and dice into small, even cubes.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the diced potatoes in an even layer and season with garlic salt and black pepper. Toss once to coat.
  • Spread the potatoes back into an even layer and let them cook undisturbed so a light crust forms (stirring too often can make them mushy), once browned underneath, stir and repeat until tender with golden edges.
    Potatoes cooking in an even layer to brown and crisp
  • Once a crust has formed on the potatoes, add the diced white onion and cook 2–3 minutes until softened.
    Diced onion added to skillet after potatoes start to crisp
  • Stir the potatoes and onion together until evenly combined.
    Potatoes and onions sautéed together until tender
  • Add the pork chorizo (if using a large pan, push the potatoes to one side and cook the chorizo on the other; if your pan is smaller, cook the chorizo separately and combine afterward). Cook the chorizo, breaking it up, until browned and fully cooked.
    Chorizo browning and being broken up with a spoon
  • Stir to combine the chorizo with the potatoes until evenly mixed.
    Finished papas con chorizo filling ready for stuffing
  • Cook until the filling is cohesive and not watery; lightly mash a few potato pieces if needed.
    Finished papas con chorizo filling ready for stuffing

Dip and Fry the Bread

  • Slice the bolillo or telera rolls open, leaving one side attached like a hinge, then dip only the outside in the guajillo sauce and let any excess drip off.
    Bolillo or telera roll sliced open, then dipped in guajillo sauce
  • Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over medium heat and place the sauce-coated rolls in the pan, fry until crisp and lightly browned, then flip.
    Guajillo-coated rolls frying in a skillet with oil
  • Fry the second side until crisp and the chile coating is set, then remove from the pan.
    Sauce-coated bread flipped to crisp on the second side

Assemble and Serve

  • Open the roll, keeping the inside mostly dry.
  • Fill the roll with the warm papas con chorizo.
    Papas con chorizo filling spooned into the fried roll
  • Top with shredded lettuce, drizzle with Mexican crema, or sour cream. Sprinkle with queso fresco or cotija, and spoon some salsa verde over the top.
    Salsa verde spooned over the assembled pambazo
  • Close the roll and serve immediately while warm and crispy.
    Finished pambazo sandwich ready to serve warm and crispy

Notes

Notes
Sauce consistency
The guajillo sauce should be smooth and pourable, not thick like paste. If it is too thick, the bread can tear. Thin with warm soaking water as needed.
Bread tip
Dip the outside only. Soaking the inside makes the bread fragile and can cause it to fall apart in the pan.
Make ahead
Make the guajillo sauce and filling up to 3 days ahead. Reheat filling in a skillet and warm sauce gently before dipping and frying bread fresh.
Storage
Store sauce, filling, bread, and toppings separately for best results. Assembled pambazos will soften fast.
Variations
Vegetarian: swap pork chorizo for soy chorizo, or use refried beans and cheese.
Spicier: keep guajillo mild, then go bold with a spicy salsa verde (habanero is perfect).
Keyword guajillo sauce, mexican sandwich, Mexican Street Food, pambazo recipe, pambazos, papas con chorizo
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