Morelia Potato Tacos (Tacos Dorados de Papa)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal for tortillas and salsa ingredients
• •Heavy 10-inch skillet for frying
• •Potato masher
• •Blender or volcanic stone molcajete
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan
• •Capula pottery platter or green-glazed Michoacan barro plate

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the potatoes

   Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water by one inch. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer and cook 15 to 18 minutes, until a knife slides through without resistance. Drain well and return the potatoes to the warm pot for two minutes so the surface moisture dries. Wet potato makes a loose filling, and loose filling breaks tacos.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Melt 2 tablespoons manteca de cerdo in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the grated garlic and cook 30 seconds, just until it smells alive. Add the drained potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Mash until mostly smooth but not gluey. You want a filling that holds together when pressed with a spoon. La manteca es el sabor.

   Do not whip the potatoes. Whipped potato turns elastic and heavy. Mash by hand, like a market cook who still needs texture in the taco.
3. 3

   Toast the salsa

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Roast the tomatoes, turning often, until blackened in spots and softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Toast the chile de arbol for 10 to 15 seconds per side, just until fragrant and a shade darker. Toast the unpeeled garlic clove until spotted and soft, about 5 minutes. Watch the chile de arbol. It is thin, angry, and burns fast. Burned chile makes bitter salsa.

4. 4

   Blend the salsa

   Peel the roasted garlic. Blend the tomatoes, toasted chile de arbol, garlic, Mexican oregano, 1/4 cup water, and a good pinch of salt until smooth but not foamy. Taste it. The salsa should be sharp, red, and clean, with the chile de arbol in front. Add a spoonful of water if it is too thick to spoon over the tacos.

5. 5

   Warm the tortillas

   Warm the corn tortillas on the comal until pliable, about 20 seconds per side, then wrap them in a clean servilleta. This step decides whether your tacos roll or crack. Cold tortillas do not forgive you. If your tortillas are dry, brush them lightly with warm water before they hit the comal.

6. 6

   Roll the tacos

   Place 2 tablespoons potato filling across the lower third of each warm tortilla. Roll tightly, seam side down, without squeezing the filling out the ends. Work in batches and keep the rolled tacos covered with the servilleta while the fat heats. Do not overfill them. A taco dorado should close neatly before it goes into the pan.

7. 7

   Fry until crisp

   Heat 1/2 inch manteca de cerdo in a heavy skillet to 350F. If you do not use a thermometer, a tortilla edge should bubble steadily the moment it touches the fat. Fry the tacos seam side down first, 3 to 4 at a time, turning once, until golden and crisp all over, about 3 minutes per batch. Drain on a rack or brown paper. Paper towels trap moisture underneath. You worked for crispness, do not lose it now.

8. 8

   Dress and serve

   Arrange the tacos on a wide platter while they are still crisp. Spoon salsa roja over the center, then scatter with shredded lechuga orejona, crema mexicana, crumbled queso Cotija, and a little chopped white onion. Serve lime halves at the table. Eat them with your hands if you want the plaza experience. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Use fresh corn tortillas from a tortilleria if you can. Supermarket tortillas crack because they are old and dry. If that is what you have, warm them carefully and keep them covered. A broken tortilla is usually a sourcing problem before it is a technique problem.
• •Queso Cotija matters here because it is Michoacan's cheese. It is salty, dry, and assertive. Queso fresco is softer and milder. It will work in hunger, but it is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Lechuga orejona gives you crispness without the watery crunch of iceberg. If the market lettuce looks tired, use finely shredded green cabbage instead. Mexican grandmothers cook with what the market is selling today.
• •Frying in manteca de cerdo gives the tortilla a deeper flavor and a cleaner crunch. Neutral oil will fry the taco, yes. It will not taste like the tacos from a Michoacan kitchen.

Advance Preparation

• •The potato filling can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before rolling so it spreads without tearing the tortilla.
• •The salsa roja can be made up to two days ahead. Refrigerate it in a glass jar and stir before serving.
• •The tacos are best fried just before serving. You can roll them up to four hours ahead, cover with a barely damp towel, and refrigerate. Fry straight from cold, adding about 30 seconds per batch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 370g)