Where I'm from (Texas by way of Seattle), black-eyed peas are good luck. Tradition dictates you eat them on the first day of a new year for a prosperous future. And while I love their most classic preparations—can't go wrong with Hoppin' John—I wanted to try something a little less traditional this year. I decided to cook my black eyed peas in the style of refried beans and use them to dress a tostada. The result is lucky, crunchy and totally craveable.

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Ingredients

1 lb black-eyed peas, soaked for at least 2 hours (I love the ones from Rancho Gordo)
1 lb bacon, divided
1 jalapeño
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
small bunch lacinato kale
lime
olive oil
salt and pepper
queso fresco
avocado
hot sauce of your choice

Directions

Lay half the bacon on a baking sheet and cook until crispy in a 350-degree oven, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a paper towel-lined plate.

Chop the other half the bacon and add it to a stock pot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until the bacon is crispy and the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot, leaving the grease in the pan.

Add the onion and cook until soft and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. While the onion is cooking, char the jalapeño under a broiler (a gas burner works as well). Remove the seeds from the jalapeño and dice.

Once the onions are nice and soft, stir in the garlic and jalapeño and let cook for a minute or two, just until you can start to smell the garlic.

At this point, you can easily take a shortcut and use canned black-eyed peas if you don't have any dry ones on hand. Just drain and rinse thoroughly, then add them to the pot and cook until they're nice and warm. Then skip ahead!*

If you're using dry beans, add them to the pot along with the water they've been soaking in. Add more water so that they're covered by 2 inches. Add the bay leaf and crank up the heat. We want the beans to come to a hard boil for 15 minutes. Leave the lid askew so the steam can escape while the water evaporates.

At this point, check the water level. The beans should be covered by about an inch, so add more water if you need to. Add 1 Tbsp of salt. Turn down the heat so it's just barely simmering and continue to leave the lid slightly askew. Cook for about 35 minutes, or until the beans are soft but not falling apart.

Use a ladle to scoop out the potlikker—the colloquial name for the bean broth—but whatever you do, don't throw it away! Stick those jars in your freezer and use them later as the base for a delicious soup.

*Use a stick blender to blend about half the peas while leaving the other half whole. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Now we will make what's basically fancy, limey shrettuce. De-rib your kale and cut it into thin ribbons. Dress with olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper and massage. Give it a little taste—you want each piece to be coated in oil and super limey.

Let's assemble! Smear a layer of black-eyed peas on a tostada. Top with a pile of kale and a generous sprinkle of queso fresco. Add a slice of avocado, a piece of bacon and a dash or five of hot sauce.