Tacos forever

You know that famous line from an Alexander Pope poem, don’t you? “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” Or maybe you’ve just heard the offshoots and paraphrases: “He knows just enough to be dangerous,” or maybe the line sometimes attributed to Aristotle and/or Socrates, a more generous interpretation of the same idea: “The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.”

It’s never truer than with food, especially food history and traditions. A prime example: Tacos. How many of you, at least when you first were learning about the marvels of Mexican cuisine (that is, if you weren’t born to it), subscribed to the idea that hard-shell tacos are an American invention, disconnected from “real” or “traditional” or, pardon me for using a term that I really hate, “authentic” Mexican food. Or that flour tortillas are the same? Maybe you got the idea when you were first turned on to gorgeous freshly made corn tortillas, either in Mexico or at an American restaurant dedicated to Mexican traditions, and you contrasted that experience with the experience at a place like Taco Bell.

And you wore this knowledge like some kind of gleaming medal, proclaiming you different from all those other plebes less enlightened than you.

I’m saying “you,” but I mean “I.” Guilty.

It’s the same dynamic at work in one of my favorite-ever sketches on Saturday Night Live, the one with Jimmy Smits as a newly hired newscaster at NBC News, where his (white) colleagues are plagued by the urge to over-pronounce every Spanish word they come across. It starts with country names — “Nicaragua” and “Honduras” — but soon progresses to “enchilada” and the like when a takeout order arrives and then to sports team names such as “Broncos” when Bob Costas makes a cameo. Hilarity ensues.

Anyway, I grew and learned and shed my misconceptions like layers of clothing in chilly-but-muggy weather. I now know that fried tacos are as Mexican as they can be, that flour tortillas are native to northern Mexico, and, well, surely some other things that I can’t think of at the moment.

As Gustavo Arellano writes in his seminal book “Taco USA,” at its most elemental, a taco is a tortilla wrapped around a stuffing. But that’s not all.

“Oh, modifications are possible: fold the tortilla in half and deep-fry it to create a taco dorado, what Americans know as the hard-shelled taco,” he writes. “Roll it like an enchilada, deep-fry it, and you have taquitos (also called flautas). Eat them at breakfast? Breakfast tacos. Fine for lunch and dinner. As a snack. As a full meal. Serve them with one or two tortillas. From a truck, from a grill, from fine china. Sprinkle some salsa, maybe some cilantro and onions. Grasp and grub. That’s it. Tacos have existed since there was a tortilla, even if they didn’t exist by that name. … They now cover the United States the way chili and tamales once did—the world, really.”

For me, tacos have been one of the easiest ways to eat plant-based meals, and that’s because they’re so familiar — I’ve been eating them since my West Texas childhood. In fact, one of my suggestions any time an interviewer or reader or friend asks for advice about how to eat less meat and more vegetables demonstrates this: Put them in formats you already like. Pasta, pizza, sandwiches … tacos.

Also because tacos are such a natural way to eat beans, which, well, I don’t need to keep telling you they’re my favorite food, do I? Nah, I didn’t think so.

When I worked on “Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking,” I solicited help from some of my favorite recipe developers, bloggers, fellow cookbook authors. I had long been a follower of Dora Ramirez’s great site “Dora’s Table,” so I knew I’d see if she wanted to work on Mexican recipes with me for the book, and I was thrilled when she agreed.

Dora is a Culinary Institute of America graduate who loves to evangelize about the wonderful cuisines of her home country and who also feeds her family day in and day out, so her recently released cookbook, “Comida Casera,” includes nods to all three of those ways of cooking. And a few years ago, when she suggested tacos dorados (“golden tacos”) as a recipe in “Mastering,” it was an easy sell. I love frying tortillas — see the recipe below for Puffy Tacos — but I know the hassle of deep frying isn’t for everyone, so I loved the idea of using a much smaller amount of oil to fry these tacos in a skillet.

What a smart dish! Rather than buying pre-fried tortillas (not as good as fresh, but convenient) or frying the tortillas separately and trying to get them to maintain that U shape (either with a device or some tricky maneuvering with utensils) before filling them, you fill them first, fold them in half, and then fry in a mere ½ cup of oil.

Won’t all the filling spill out into the skillet? Not when it’s sticky like refried beans or, in this case, mashed potatoes. The tacos end up as easy to cook as quesadillas. And rather than open them up at the table and add your crunchy and maybe cheesy and spicy toppings, you leave them folded and add the toppings to, well, the top. You can eat them with a knife and fork if you prefer, but I like to pick up a taco, with the toppings balanced on one, and crunch right in. The meal seems a little bit like a cross between tacos and nachos. And who wouldn’t want that?

You can put whatever you want in (or on) a taco, but I like to at least make sure the combination includes a variety of textures and includes some heat. That means tacos can easily become the vehicle for ridding your fridge of leftovers (save this recipe for your post-Thanksgiving recovery!), for showcasing seasonal ingredients, for eating less meat and more vegetables.

Whenever anyone asks me what I tend to make off the cuff when I don’t have a plan, the answer is always the same. Tacos are life.

I break for animals:
Milton

amysedaris

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Recipe: Crispy Tacos (Tacos Dorados) with Potatoes

These golden tacos are the stuff of dreams: a homey combination of mashed potatoes and crispy tortillas, served with crunchy, creamy, and spicy toppings and traditionally served during Lent. You can make the mashed potatoes ahead of time (or use leftovers) and then fill the tortillas right before frying. Note that these don't store well as leftovers, which is just another excuse to finish them shortly after they're fried — as if you needed a reason.

Makes: 4 servings

Storage: Not recommended for the finished tacos. The mashed potato filling can be refrigerated for up to 5 days before assembling and frying.

joeyonan

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For the potato filling:

• 3 medium russet potatoes (2 pounds/910g total), scrubbed and cut into chunks

• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the tacos:

• 12 corn tortillas

• ½ cup (120ml) peanut, sunflower, or other neutral oil

• 1 head romaine lettuce, cored and thinly sliced

• 2 large Roma tomatoes, cored and diced

• ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced

• ½ cup (56g) vegan feta

• ½ cup (120ml) vegan sour cream

• ½ cup (120ml) your favorite salsa

Make the potato filling: In a heavy pot, combine the potatoes, salt, and enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch (2.5cm). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until soft and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Reserving 1½ cups (350ml) of the cooking water, drain the potatoes.

Set a ricer or food mill over a large bowl and pass the potatoes through it into the bowl, leaving the skins behind. Stir in the garlic powder, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, pepper, and ¾ cup (180ml) of the potato water. Taste and season with more salt as needed. If too dry, add more potato water until creamy.

Make the tacos: Microwave the tortillas, 4 at a time, on high for 1 minute until soft and pliable. Top each tortilla with 2 heaping tablespoons of the potato filling and fold in half.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, fry the tacos until golden brown and crispy, 6 to 7 minutes per side. (Alternatively, cook in an air fryer at 400°F/200°C for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.)

Transfer to a serving platter and top with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, queso fresco, crema, and salsa. Serve hot.

Recipe from “Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking” (Ten Speed Press, 2024). Copyright Joe Yonan.

More favorite taco recipes

These are gift links to the recipes at the Post. Note that they require you to register but not subscribe. Gift links are free to access for 2 weeks, so if you want to come back to any of these recipes but don’t subscribe or want to subscribe, I suggest you find a way to save them!

Puffy Tacos With Black Beans

Crunchy Tacos With Spicy Tofu

Bean and Poblano Tacos With Quick-Pickled Onions