Cheeseburger tacos. Just the words make you throw up hands and ask "why not?"
On National Taco Day, and from their 2015 book Tacos: Recipes and Provocations, Alex Stpuak and Jordana Rothman have a recipe that adapts the best elements of a cheeseburger and taco.
Cheeseburger tacos
1 teaspoon lard or vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
Kosher salt, to taste
1 pound Chihuahua cheese (quesadilla cheese or other melting cheese), grated
12 warm corn tortillas
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 plum tomato, cut into 12 slices
1 avocado, cut lengthwise into 12 slices
1/2 medium white onion, minced
60 cilantro leaves (from about 15 sprigs), roughly chopped
2 limes, each cut into 6 wedges
Salsa roja (available at a Mexican meat market or the deli of a Hispanic supermarket)
Set a 12-inch nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add the lard. Once the fat is shimmering, add the ground beef and cook, stirring until crumbly and browned, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt. Add the grated cheese and stir until completely melted, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.Lay out the warm tortillas on serving plates. Place a tablespoon of mayonnaise on each tortilla and spread using the back of a spoon. Evenly distribute the cheeseburger filling among the tortillas and top with the tomato and avocado slices, minced onion, chopped cilantro and a drizzle of salsa roja. Squeeze a couple of the lime wedges over the tacos and serve the rest on the side. Makes 12 tacos.
PER TACO: Calories 428 (69% from fat), Fat 33 g (12 g sat), Cholesterol 72 mg, Sodium 516 mg, Fiber 3 g, Carbohydrates 16 g, Protein 16 g, Sugar 4 g
SOURCE: Adapted from Tacos: Recipes and Provocations, by Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman. Copyright ©2015 by Empellón Holdings LLC and Jordana Rothman. (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, $32.50)
