Description
These crispy, golden potato tacos are stuffed with mashed potatoes and topped with fresh salsa, lettuce, avocado, cotija cheese, and creamy Mexican crema. A simple and satisfying dish that’s full of flavor!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Tacos
- 4 medium yellow potatoes
- 4 plum tomatoes
- 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Pinch of salt, plus 1/2 tsp, divided
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 cup avocado oil or canola oil
- 2 cups very thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese (or use a different cheese of your choice)
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema (or sour cream)
- 1 large ripe avocado, sliced
Instructions
- Cook the Potatoes: Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 22-25 minutes, or until a paring knife easily slides through the center.
- Prepare the Salsa: In a medium saucepan, place the tomatoes and serrano (or jalapeño) pepper with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the tomatoes begin to peel and soften but are not overly mushy.
- Blend the Salsa: Remove the stem from the chile and transfer the tomatoes and chile to a blender (reserve the cooking water). Pulse 2-3 times. Add oregano and a pinch of salt, then pulse 2-3 more times until finely chopped. If you prefer a thinner salsa, add reserved cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Mash the Potatoes: Drain the cooked potatoes and remove the skins, if desired. Transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl, add the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt, and coarsely mash, leaving small chunks.
- Warm the Tortillas: Wrap the tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave on High for 30 seconds. Keep them wrapped and warm until ready to use.
- Assemble the Tacos: Add about 1/4 cup of mashed potato mixture to one half of each tortilla, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Fold and seal with 2-3 toothpicks.
- Fry the Tacos: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Test by adding a small piece of tortilla—if it bubbles and floats, the oil is ready. Fry half of the tacos, carefully flipping once, until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining tacos.
- Serve: Remove the toothpicks from the tacos. Serve immediately with the salsa, lettuce, cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese, crema (or sour cream), and avocado slices.
Notes
- To make ahead, you can prepare the potato filling and salsa in advance. Simply reheat before assembling and frying the tacos.
- You can substitute the cotija cheese with a different cheese, or make it vegan by omitting the cheese and using dairy-free sour cream.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tacos
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 470mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 10mg