Only I would make a recipe inspired by a taco I had at Taco Bell once. Late nights in college at Taco Bell showed me the beauty of their Crispy Potato Tacos with a mysterious and delicious white sauce. Anyone else love the Crispy Potato Tacos but find something unsettling about the quality of the ingredients? I made my own version that’s suitable for Vegans, Vegetarians and all around Potato-lovers alike. I am all about potatoes as a taco filling. Bring it on. Plus to top it all off, I made a creamy avocado sauce (basically a pureed version of guacamole) to compliment these delicious tacos.
Here’s how we make these. The avocado sauce is simple. Add the cilantro to a food processor and pulse. Then add the avocado, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, jalapeno slices and lime. Puree until it’s nice and creamy.
To make the tacos, start with some russet potatoes. Peel em and put them in some boiling water. Bring it down to a simmer and simmer just until they’re fork-tender but not quite ready to eat. Then we’ll work on seasoning them. Mix together your salt, coriander, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin. Sprinkle them over your drained potatoes.
Now we’ll crisp them in the pan. Start with a diced onion and green chiles and saute them in the pan with some olive oil. Then remove them to a plate while you crisp up your potatoes. This will take about fifteen minutes. once they’re tender, smash them a bit here and there with something heavy like a skillet. Add the onions back in pan when the potatoes are tender and ready to eat.
To make the tortillas crispy, I put them over a gas flame for a minute on each side. Or you can heat a nonstick skillet on high heat and cook them on each side. Then serve the potatoes in the tortilla topped with the avocado sauce, cheese, or maybe some cilantro or lettuce and tomato. See the full recipe below.
- 2 avocados, pit removed
- ½ bunch cilantro with stems (about ½ cup)
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ tsp coriander
- ½ tsp cumin
- a pinch of salt
- 10 pickled jalapeno slices
- juice of one lime
- 1 lb russet potatoes, peeled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp coriander
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- a pinch of cayenne
- 1 tsp cumin
- one 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- ½ large yellow onion, diced
- corn tortillas for serving
- shredded cheese for serving (optional)
- In a food processor, add the cilantro and pulse to chop for a few seconds. Then add the avocado, coriander, cumin, salt, jalapeno slices and lime juice. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. While you're waiting, dice the potatoes into half inch cubes. Pour the potatoes into the boiling water and let it come back up to a boil. Then bring down to a simmer and simmer for 4 minutes or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork but they're not quite ready to eat. Drain into a colander and put into a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix together the salt, coriander, garlic, paprika, cayenne, and cumin. Sprinkle over the potatoes.
- Add olive oil to a large nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and chiles and cook until onions are translucent. Move onions to a plate and wipe out the pan. To the same pan add a bit more oil and then add the potatoes. Cook, stirring infrequently until browned, about 15 minutes. Press the potatoes slightly with your spatula to crush them just a bit. This will keep them tender and crispy. Once potatoes are fork tender and ready to eat, you can make them into tacos.
- Heat the tortillas in a nonstick pan over high until each side bubbles and browns slightly. Then serve tortillas with potatoes and avocado sauce.
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