I once was lucky enough to get a single chip with a scoop of salsa made from roasted Hatch chilies, brought in by a visitor from New Mexico.

I’m a teacher, and I was walking through our school cafeteria that day when I saw a group of kids surrounding a boy with a bag of tortilla chips and a Tupperware of green salsa.

He was handing out chips like a sacrament, and I had to stop.

“What’s going on here?” I asked, like a nosy lunch supervisor.

“Want one?” he offered — a bribe. I took the sample and after I realized the treasure he had, I whispered, “You’d better hide that before someone, like me, steals the rest.”

He laughed, but I was serious. He had just moved from Hatch Valley in the fall, and his grandma was visiting, with a hand-carried stash of roasted chilies.

I’ve heard legend of the aromas that emanate from roasting tumblers during Hatch chili season. Someday I’ll break down and have a crate shipped to me. Canned varieties leave a lot to be desired.

Chilies and eggs are my favorite duo, a true meant-to-be marriage, and I’ve built around that in this recipe. Yolk is my favorite sauce. It’s a crowd pleaser: rich and silky. If I had a standard request, it would probably be: “Can I get an egg on that?”

I can confidently say I’ve perfected the sunny side-up egg; in my opinion, it’s one of the most important kitchen skills.

Kalua pork is often paired with a starchy item — rice or poi, which mellows out the salt and cleans out the savoriness. Instead, in this recipe, between the chili and egg, you’ll get a mix of competing flavors and textures. The extra fry in the pan of a fatty kalua pork elevates your leftovers in an island version of carnitas.

For now, I’ll have to be satisfied with the wrinkled poblanos I can find in local grocery stores, plus some canned green salsa.

But I’ll keep my eye out for anyone who has a New Mexico grandma they’re willing to share.

STUFFED BREAKFAST CHILIES

By Mariko Jackson

• 1 poblano pepper
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 2/3 cup kalua pork
• 2 eggs
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup cheese sauce (recipe follows)
• 1/4 cup green salsa

Brush pepper with 1 teaspoon olive oil and place on foil-lined tray. Broil 5-10 minutes, turning once, until skin turns black. Put pepper in a bowl and cover about 15 minutes.

Remove skin, then cut in half vertically and remove seeds.

In heavy skillet over medium- high, add remaining olive oil. When pan is hot, throw in pork and press it into one side of the skillet. Turn heat down slightly. Crack eggs into the empty side of skillet and season with salt and pepper.

Turn pork occasionally until it is heated through and some of its edges are crisp. Remove pork and eggs when egg whites are set.

To assemble, place a chili half on each of 2 plates, then divy up the pork onto each chili. Layer with an egg. Top with cheese sauce and green salsa; serve immediately. Serves 2.

CHEESE SAUCE

By Mariko Jackson

• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 ounces white cheddar cheese

In saucepan over medium, heat cream just until it begins to bubble (it will be quick). Melt in cheese and stir. Use immediately.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including salt to taste): 750 calories, 67 g fat, 28 g saturated fat, 320 mg cholesterol, 750 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 29 g protein.

Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at thelittlefoodie.com. Her column runs on the last Wednesday of the month. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.