We’ve been posting a lot here about local restaurants we like, but we’ve also been cooking up a storm lately and we want to get back to showing you some great recipes. One that we made recently and really liked was these delicious tacos, which we based on a recipe from the New York Times. These were nice and warm and comforting, and we liked the unusual way they’re put together: these aren’t filled with potato chunks, but instead with a potato filling that’s mashed with spices and herbs and then lightly grilled. The result are these crispy and meat-free tacos – so read along to see how to make them on your own!
You’ll need:
- 1 1/2 pounds of potatoes
- 6 ounces of cheddar cheese
- Cilantro
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Paprika
- A 16-pack of tortillas
- Vegetable oil
- A red onion
- Sour cream
- Iceberg lettuce
- 3 tomatoes
- A serrano chile
- Dried oregano
- Sugar
- 1 Massel 7’s beef style bouillon cube
You’ll first want to boil some water, chop your potatoes into bite-sized pieces, and cook them in the boiling water for 20 minutes. Then drain the potatoes and let them cool.
While you’re waiting, you can start making the salsa for your tacos: chop your tomatoes, chile, and some cilantro, plus cut your onion in half and chop that too. Place all of these veggies in a food processor, along with a teaspoon each of cumin, oregano and sugar and a pinch of salt, and blend together.
Next, boil 3/4 cup of water in a pan and dissolve in your bouillon cube. Add in your tomato mixture and let the whole thing boil again, then bring the heat to low and simmer everything while you assemble your tacos.
Now you can mash up your potatoes, then mix in a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of Paprika, and some salt. Chop some more cilantro and a few garlic cloves, grate up your cheddar, and stir all this in as well.
Heat up a griddle over medium-high heat and warm up all your tortillas on it for about a minute each – once they’re ready to come off, wrap them in a towel. When all the tortillas are heated, place a large spoonful of potatoes into each taco.
Fold each taco in half …
… then brush your griddle with oil and place a few tacos on it. Cook the tacos for 1-2 minutes on each side, until they’re crispy.
When all your tacos have cooked, your salsa should be ready as well. Plate up your tacos and serve with the salsa on top, plus some shredded lettuce, sliced red onions, and sour cream.
We loved all the different elements that came together to make these tacos: a simmered homemade salsa, potatoes mixed with spices and cilantro, crispy tortillas wrapped around your filling, and some good toppings to tie everything together when you’re ready to dig in. Having mashed potatoes inside a taco wasn’t something we’d ever eaten before, but in fact it’s a popular way to serve tacos de papa in Mexico. Pan-frying the tacos after they’ve been assembled also added in a great extra taste, and we enjoyed a plateful of these meatless tacos. It does take some time to make the salsa, cook the potatoes, then put everything together and griddle the tortillas, but the result is a platter of unique tacos that bring in tons of flavor without relying on any meat.