Thursday, September 16, 2010

Taco Wednesday

Last night I tried a new taco recipe that I found in the August or September issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray. It is a contribution of reader Armando Araiza and the recipe follows below:

Ingredients:

1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 lb ground beef (I suppose you can substitute turkey)
Salt & pepper
Ten 10-inch corn tortillas
Corn oil, for frying
Whatever garnishes you like (cheese, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, etc.)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place potato chunks in large saucepan and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer until very tender (10 minutes or so).

2. Meanwhile, cook beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking up the meat. When meat is cooked through transfer meat to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Add cooked potato and mash SLIGHTLY. Season with salt and pepper to taste and continue stirring.

3. Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels, then in foil. Place in the oven until warm. In another large skillet heat enough oil to reach a depth of 1/2 inch over medium high heat. Working in batches, and keeping the remainder of the tortillas wrapped place a spoonful of beef mixture on one side of the tortilla and fold into a half moon. Place in the skillet and fry, turning once and gently pressing down to ensure that the taco keeps the half moon shape, until golden. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Gently crack open to garnish.


NOTE: I mashed the potato too much and found that the meat mixture was more like a paste so be sure to mash slightly. Also, the tortillas I used were quite moist so it was difficult for me to fit 1/3 cup in each tortilla without the shells cracking. I made these before I went to the gym and wrapped two in foil and left in the warm oven and they were still good when I arrived home but had become a little soggy in the meat pockets. These are just tips to help you make these tacos a little better =)

Hope you enjoy! I normally don't eat fried foods, but hey, can't hurt once in awhile right?

I will try to blog again soon with a family update.