Alex and I have been together for over twenty years. One of the first dishes his mom made for me was a family tradition- Po-Tacos. She makes them every time she goes camping. At first I was skeptical about the addition of potatoes to my tacos, but I quickly learned that this was a very good thing for a variety of reasons:

1. It’s tasty
2. It’s textural as it adds a creamy element to the taco
3. It’s cost effective and stretches the budget on meat

So on this trip up to Sequoia, we were both craving her Po-Tacos the second we left our house. She did not disappoint. We had a full spread of Po-Tacos our first night together, which brought up memories of the last 20. It doesn’t use any special spices, just salt and pepper, but you need a lot of pepper.  Simply delish.

Po-Tacos

• 1 lb ground beef (^)
• 1 potato, diced into ¼ inch cubes (*)
• 1 onion diced
• 1 tbsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• Corn tortillas
• Vegetable/Canola Oil, for frying

Toppings:

• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Tomatoes, diced
• Lettuce, shredded
• Alex’s mom’s salsa

In a pan, add a 2 tablespoons of oil and cook the potatoes for about 3-4 minutes over medium high heat until they begin to brown. Add the ground beef and onions and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until the meat browns.

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan with oil (about ¼ to ½ cup). The oil does not need to be very deep. Dip a tortilla in the oil, and using tongs, pull one side of the taco out of the oil so that it forms a taco shape. When the side in the oil is lightly browned, turn the tortilla over and cook the other side. Continue to hold the tortilla until it can support itself. Continue until you have the desired number of taco shells (about 2-3 per person).

To serve, spoon the meat and potato mixture into the fried shells and allow everyone to add their own toppings. Enjoy!

(^) You can also use ground turkey

(*) You can also use boiled and lightly mashed potatoes, which is the original recipe, but I prefer the potato chunks.

Po-Tacos