Mexican Potato Tacos (Tacos de Papa)

Note: The focus here is really on the tacos. The fixings are up to you. I loaded my plate up Tex-Mex style with all of the fixings because that’s how I like to roll on my Mexican platter. The only thing it was missing was a great chile toreado!

Start by quartering cleaned potatoes. You can go smaller if you want. I had some time on my hand so quartered worked fine by me. Add these to a pot of cold water, along with garlic, 1 roughly chopped serrano chile, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until fork tender, about 40 minutes.

Once potatoes are tender, drain and return them back to the pot on medium heat. Cook off any excess water.

Once water has evaporated, you have a couple of options. My first option is to always use a potato ricer for my potatoes. If you don’t have one, use your favorite masher, or even a couple of forks. You want the potatoes smooth, but if you like some texture, then by all means get some texture into those potatoes. If you want to remove the garlic and chilies, then go for it. Me? I mash them into the potatoes. Once mashed, add more salt, cumin, pepper, butter, and milk. Give a good stir, taste, and add more salt or cumin if needed. Set aside to cool.

When you are ready to get these things going, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add canola oil, and let it come to temperature for a couple of minutes.

Lightly heat corn tortillas in the microwave, or in a separate pan. The goal is to make them flexible for folding. Corn tortillas out of the bag are no bueno.

Once the oil is heated, and you have some workable corn tortillas, take a nice spoonful of the potato mixture and slather it into the tortilla. Fold the tortilla over, using the potato as the glue to pinch around the edges, and gently lay into the skillet. Repeat with a couple of more tacos. I think I fit about 3 tacos per batch.

Cook the tacos for a few minutes, then gently flip over to crisp the other side. (Can you spray these with cooking spray and place in a 375ºF oven, turning once? Yes, but I think the texture will be slightly different. If you want to go that route, go for it. You can probably fit more on a baking sheet!)

Once the tacos are cooked, remove and place on a paper-lined sheet to let any excess oil drain. Now you have choices. You can carefully open these up and stuff them with things such as cheese, salsa, beans, or whatever you like, or you can roll them, like I did.

Add the Mexican potato tacos to a serving plate, lining them up nicely, and ladle on some warm salsa verde, shower with cheese, and lay around the fixings. I like mine spicy so I showered mine with more chilies.