Middle-School Tacos

Name: Middle-School Tacos
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola, peanut or grapeseed; 1 medium-size yellow onion, peeled and diced; 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced; 2 pounds ground beef; 2 tablespoons chile powder; 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste; 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (or substitute hot or sweet paprika); 1 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes, or to taste; 1 cup chicken broth or beef broth, low-sodium if store-bought; 12-18 hard taco shells; Toppings: grated cheese, sliced jalapeños, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

By Sam Sifton

Total Time: 30 minutes.
Rating: 4(2,469)
Comments: Read comments

Here is a taste of a time when Mexican food was not as widely available in the United States as it is today, when parents and sports bars looked for food to serve children and those who eat like them, when the combination of crunch and fat and silk was divine. It still can be, if you avoid the taco kits of yore and make your own picadillo, then put it in hard-shell tacos and top how you like. For those who want to avoid prefabricated taco shells, make a form out of aluminum foil, fry fresh corn tortillas in shimmering neutral oil and then allow them to cool into shape on their aluminum saddle. Taco night. You can’t eat just two.

Featured in: The Case for Hard-Shell Tacos

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 6

2tablespoons neutral oil, like canola, peanut or grapeseed
1medium-size yellow onion, peeled and diced
4cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2pounds ground beef
2tablespoons chile powder
1tablespoon ground cumin
2teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
2teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2teaspoons cornstarch
2teaspoons smoked paprika (or substitute hot or sweet paprika)
1teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes, or to taste
1cup chicken broth or beef broth, low-sodium if store-bought
12-18 hard taco shells
Toppings: grated cheese, sliced jalapeños, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the oil. When it begins to shimmer, add the onion, and cook until softened and starting to brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
Step 2
Add the garlic, and cook for a minute or so to soften, and then the ground beef. Cook until the beef is starting to brown, stirring and chopping with a spoon to break up the meat, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Pour off excess fat, leaving only a tablespoon or two in the pan.
Step 3
Heat oven to 325. Add the chile powder, cumin, salt, pepper, cornstarch, paprika and red-pepper flakes, and stir to combine. Add the broth, stir, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered until the sauce has thickened slightly, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
Step 4
As sauce cooks, place taco shells on a sheet pan, and toast in oven until they are crisp and smell nutty. Serve a few tablespoons of meat in each taco, along with whatever toppings you like.

Ratings

4 out of 5

2,469 user ratings

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Comments

Jen7 years ago

Make your own hard shells by draping corn tortillas upside down over two wires in your oven rack at 275 degrees for 10-15 minutes depending on how crunchy you want them. Healthier than frying but more flavorful than the pre-shaped ones.

Edgar7 years ago

I just got back from Mexico and I must say I admire your defense of the "middle school" taco. The title reminds us it not only ok but is necessary to occasionally put aside our pretensions of seeking only "authentic" this or that. Would we really know any way? It's a good recipe.

Ken Richter7 years ago

These are not "middle school tacos." They're tacos. I live in Guanajuato, Mexico. (The dead center of Mexico.) My mother-in-law, about as Mexican as you can get, makes these all the time. (To make the shells, she fills a tortilla with meat, folds the tortilla over, and then fries it. Probably not super healthy, but delicious). We like to marinate tomatoes and onions in lime juice, and top the tacos with those, lettuce, and sour cream.

Mike6 years ago

I only use "Pedro Lopez Chilli Powder"-it comes from my hometown of Topeka, KS. We buy it to KY in 16oz bags from the original place now owned by Pedro's family. Working in a super market in Topeka I remember Pedro making store deliveries from his old panel wagon truck. He grew the business then it sold out to a larger group but his secret is in the hands of relatives now. It's not all about nostalgia, as hands down the best chilli powder blend I've ever tried. Web purchases-use his name. Try it

Janie6 years ago

Great recipe! My chilli powder was fancy gourmet and is crazy spicy so I added a can of black beans to try to calm the heat. But a great recipe for comfort cooking!

Megan McGinley6 years ago

Favorite hard taco shells?

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