Mexico Month - Ground Beef and Pickles Tacos

One of my favorite things to do other than cook is shop. In fact, I have often considered featuring both fashion and cooking in this blog, but I really hate taking pictures of myself, let along posting them for all the world (okay, for the 3 people who read this blog) to see.  In a quest to dress well, I read a lot of fashion websites.  My favorite is Style by Santina, of course, but I also love Refinery 29.  I read each of those sites pretty much every day.  


Earlier this week, or maybe not this week but some time recently, I was perusing Refinery 29, and saw an article entitled ground beef and pickle tacos.  I love tacos, I love beef, and I REALLY love pickles, so of course I clicked the link.  Some chef I've never heard of is - I guess - famous for making them at some restaurant in LA I've never heard of.  And he talked to some radio station or something and gave his recipe.  All this information doesn't matter... except the giving the recipe part.


It's pretty rare to discover a great recipe through reading about fashion, let alone a gem like this one.  And during Mexico month?  Perfect.  


I made them tonight for dinner, and my goodness they're good.  Not that I had any doubt, but wow.


1 lb ground beef
2 boiled russet potatoes (I did not include potatoes in mine)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dry oregano
2 Tbsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste


8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
Pickle chips or sandwich pickles
Soft corn tortillas


1.  Cook the ground beef with the dry spices.  Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.
2.  Heat the tortillas then fill with the beef.
3.  Close both ends of the tortilla with toothpicks.
4.  Fry in canola oil about 2 minutes on each side.
5.  Once cooked, place on paper towels, open and add cheese and pickles.
6.  Eat.


I was really worried about the frying part.  I am terrible at frying things, but these were actually really easy.  I put about a 1/2 inch of oil in the skillet, warmed it up, and since you can just lie the taco on its side, it was really easy to fry.  2 minutes on each side was too long, though.  It needed more like a minute and a half or so each side.


Bon appetit.