Many people in the US are accustomed to hardshell tacos which have been fried before being filled. But, these fried potato tacos are filled with spiced mashed potatoes and then fried. This results in a crispy exterior, with a very tender interior. Lavished with toppings, these potato tacos are full of fresh flavor and zest.
Potato tacos have been a popular street food and Lenten meal in Mexico and now you can bring these lively flavors to your own dinner table, too.
You’ll need to peel and chop about 2 large Russet potatoes for this recipe, then boil them and mash them with some salt, pepper, and cumin. Spread this filling in a thin layer over small corn tortillas.
Then dip them in hot oil to fry. I found that if I held the top shut gently with a pair of tongs and allowed the bottoms to become fried first then the tortillas didn’t break or crack and the filling mostly stayed in place. After holding each one that way for about 20 seconds you can fry them flat.
I also found that if you press them at all they will crack so a light touch is all that’s needed here.
The sauce for these tacos is a lively mix of chiles en adobo, canned whole tomatoes, and cooked garlic and onion. The result is a smoky, flavorsome sauce that goes well with just about anything Mexican or Tex-Mex food.
To dress these tacos add some chopped cilantro, queso fresco, and some sliced radishes. You can also serve these delicious tacos with some fresh lime wedges for an even tastier flavor.
Fried Potato Tacos (Tacos de Papa)
Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 4 canned chiles en adobo
- 8 oz whole, peeled canned tomatoes (drained)
- juice of 1 lime
- 14 (6″) corn tortillas
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4-6 red radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro
Preparation
- Add potatoes to a large pan and add just enough water to cover them along with a teaspoon of salt. Cook until fork tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain and then add potatoes back to pan and combine with 1 tablespoon olive oil, cumin, and milk. Mash until smooth then add salt to taste.
- Heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is tender, about 12 minutes. Pour mixture into blender and then add chiles, tomatoes, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Blitz until smooth then add more salt or pepper if needed.
- In a clean pan heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add some potato filling to each tortilla and fold in half. Use tongs to hold tacos upright in oil for 30 seconds before laying down to cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Garnish with chile sauce, radishes, queso, and cilantro.
Recipe adapted from Saveur.
