Mexican Chef’s Simple Recipe for Baby Potato Crispy Rolled Tacos
He enjoyed this snack as a child before moving to London via New York.
(Bloomberg) -- Chef Edson Diaz-Fuentes was born in the Coyoacan neighborhood of Mexico City, where his love of food began as a child, going shopping in the markets with his mother and then enjoying the cooking of his grandmother.
His restaurant Santo Remedio serves some of the best Mexican food in London, a city that’s not generally known for the quality of its Mexican cuisine. But Santo Remedio, which Edson runs with his British-Mexican wife Natalie, a former journalist, serves authentic dishes that are full of flavor. The couple lived in New York, where they hosted supper clubs in Brooklyn, before moving to the U.K.
For Bloomberg, he has supplied a simple recipe for baby potato tacos dorados — crispy rolled tacos.
“Tacos dorados were one of my favorite foods when I was growing up, and whenever I go back to Mexico they are one of my must eat dishes that are tasty, comforting and remind me of my childhood,” he says. “You can find them in Mexico’s markets for a quick, moreish tasty lunch. They are quick and easy to make but hit all the spots when it comes to flavor, crunch and a comforting dish.”
Edson insists on corn tortillas rather than the flour variety often seen in London stores. If you have trouble finding them, they are available from Santo Remedio as well as online.
I attempted the recipe twice. Both times, I struggled to roll the filled tortillas into a cigar shape without splitting them. The first time, I made them without a salsa and didn’t find them very exciting. On my second attempt adding the salsa they looked and tasted extremely good. I had to buy a blender to make the salsa, for which Edson also supplied a recipe. Otherwise, I’d have been very tempted just to buy a jar.
This recipe is for 20 tacos, which should be more than enough for four as a snack (botana ) or light lunch.
Ingredients:
400 grams (14 ounces) of baby or salad potatoes
60 milliliters (2 ounces) olive oil
2 limes or lemons (juice only)
1 japaleño or any fresh chili (finely chopped, keep the seeds if you want a bit of extra spicy flavor )
5g tarragon (leaves only, finely chopped)
A pinch of oregano
5g parsley (leaves only , finely chopped)
5g coriander (finely chopped, also a few leaves for garnish )
200ml Mexican crema or sour cream
100g queso fresco (or Feta as an alternative)
1 avocado, with stone and skin removed
20 corn tortillas
toothpicks
vegetable oil (for frying)
Preparation:
Cook the potatoes in a pot with boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
In a bowl, mix the juice of two limes or lemons with the olive oil, chopped jalapeño, chopped tarragon, parsley and coriander. Add the oregano and mix, then add the cooked potatoes. Crush together, without completely mashing the potatoes. Season with sea salt to taste. Add more chili if you want.
Lightly fry the corn tortillas in a little oil for a few seconds on each side in a non-stick pan to make them soft and malleable. With a spoon, put some potato mix across the middle of the tortillas, sprinkle cheese onto the mix, roll them into a cigar shape, then pin each top and bottom with toothpicks to hold them together. Fry with a little more oil for 2-3 minutes, or until they are crisp.
Place them on a flat plate, remove the toothpicks and top with crema or sour cream and roasted salsa roja along with finely sliced avocado and some coriander leaves.
Serve and enjoy with a refreshing Michelada, or alternatively, homemade Agua Fresca.
Roasted Salsa Roja
Ingredients:
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 medium red onion, in quarters
4 garlic cloves
2 — 3 fresh jalapeños or any other fresh chilis. Dried or smoked chilis that are traditionally used in Mexican cooking, like ancho, chipotle or guajillo (stem removed), also work.
5g fresh coriander leaves
sea salt
olive oil
Preparation:
Place the tomatoes, onions, garlic and chilis on an uncovered oven tray with a good dash of oil and roast at 180 degrees Celsius (356F) for 30-35 minutes until all ingredients are cooked through and are beginning to soften and are roasted.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Put all these ingredients into a blender, adding a cup of water until you achieve a smooth but chunky texture, add salt to taste. Add hand-chopped coriander and mix well with a spatula or spoon.
Richard Vines is Chief Food Critic at Bloomberg. Follow him on Twitter @richardvines and Instagram @richard.vines.
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