Crispy Potato Tacos (Tacos de Papa)
These beauties are crisp outside, creamy inside, and full of bold flavors. They're a real favorite around here, especially when paired with simple black bean soup. Here's how to make them great.
Calories: 610kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 grams) Yukon gold potatoes
- 2 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt divided
- ½ cup (120 grams) sour cream
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 12 6- inch corn tortillas
- ½ cup (120 ml) safflower oil, for frying
- 4 ounces (113 grams) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ small red onion minced
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut into roughly 1-inch cubes. Place in a small pot with cold water to cover and two teaspoons of the salt.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes, until tender.
- Drain and return to pot.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, onion powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne.
- Add mixture to potatoes and mash until smooth.
- One by one, heat the tortillas on both sides in a dry 12-inch frying pan.
- Spread a generous two tablespoons of potato into each tortilla and gently fold to form a taco.
- When all tacos are assembled, heat the oil in the same frying pan until thin and shimmering.
- Working three to four tacos at a time, fry on one side until crisp, about 90 seconds, then flip and repeat. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a little additional salt if you like.
- To serve, add some cheese, cilantro and red onion to the top of each taco (or gently open it and place inside),
Notes
- Yukon Gold potatoes or a similar gold-fleshed potato variety have just the right ratio of creaminess to waxiness to starch to yield perfect tacos.
- Try to use good-quality 6-inch corn tortillas if possible. Supermarket brands are fine but can lack complexity of flavor. You'll warm each tortilla in a dry pan before filling, to enhance the flavor and increase pliability.
- Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
- Extra-sharp cheddar melts well but still packs a super-savory, creamy punch. Shred it on the large holes of a box grater.
- You can cook the potatoes and mix up the filling up to a week in advance. Assemble and fry the tacos right before serving. If you have leftovers, wrap them tightly and store in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat in the oven or toaster oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 610kcal | Carbohydrates: 82.8g | Protein: 16.6g | Fat: 24.4g | Fiber: 5.8g