Classic Fried Tacos

^{Love this week’s recipe? Forward it to a friend.
Someone send this to you? See the archive & sign up here!}

Once upon a time my husband took me to Sacramento to visit his Grandmother and while we were in town we had Jimboy’s Tacos. We’re talking drive-thru, nothing fancy, but they were crunchy and greasy and saucy and salty and the shells were covered in…parmesan cheese. I left a little piece of my soul there that day, and every trip to Northern California, thereafter.

As much as the inspiration for the Parmesan came from Jimboy’s, the fried taco shell technique came from my dear friend, Marissa. There was a time in our lives when we’d find ourselves at her house weekly, eating tacos every single time. ‘Twas a fun time, that taco time. Could also be called vodka lemonade time, but that’s a story for another newsletter.

To kick off this new series I’d like to introduce you to my go-to taco recipe, and all of my little tips and tricks for the best homemade tacos you’ve ever had.

What You'll Need

Serves 4

1 pound ground turkey

Taco seasoning of choice

Flour tortillas, fajita size

Iceberg lettuce, cut into fine shreds

Hot sauce of choice

Grated Parmesan cheese

Neutral cooking oil (I like avocado but vegetable, canola, or coconut will do)

What You'll Do

1. The meat - Start by browning your ground turkey in a skillet (preferably not non-stick) over medium heat, coat the bottom with oil and cook until brown, maybe 5-10 min, constantly breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon.
   
   When it’s almost done, whip out your potato masher. (Don’t have one? Just keep breaking it up with your spoon.) Otherwise, go to town on it with the potato masher, until it resembles tiny pieces, a la Taco Bell.
   
   Once it’s cooked you probably won’t even need to drain it, as ground turkey has almost no fat. Add in your taco seasoning and water, put a lid on it and let it simmer until your shells are ready.
   
   

2. The shells - Heat a medium sized frying pan over medium-high heat, with about a half inch of avocado oil in the bottom. Keep an eye on it, you want to see the oil start rippling in the bottom of the pan, but not smoking.
   
   One good way to test if your oil is hot enough is to place the tip of thehandle of a wooden spoon in it and if tiny little bubbles come out, it’s perfect. Place one tortilla in at a time, flipping after 30 seconds, using tongs, and after about 15 seconds on the second side, gently fold it in half using your tongs, and finish frying for about 5 seconds on each side.
   
   Make sure you have a cutting board or plate nearby lined with paper towels. Drip as much oil off as you can and place on paper towels to drain a bit. Immediately shake Parmesan cheese on the outside of thetaco shell, and keep frying tortillas until your heart’s content.
   
   

3. Assembly - One last little trick to get the best homemade tacos, is to put your cheese in the bottom of the shell first. Cheese, then meat, followed by heaps of shredded lettuce and hot sauce make for a structurally sound, gooey, melted cheese base…and I’m not sure what could be better than that.

NOTES: You can use any protein, ground turkey just happens to be my personal favorite, very tender and mild in flavor so it lends well to lots of taco seasoning and hot sauce. As for taco seasoning, Kinder’s is my go-to, full of Smokey chili flavor and a hint of lime; it’s fantastic. Any flour tortilla will do, but I use Mission. They basic, but they’re also soft and fluffy and when fried not only get crunchy but remain a little chewy. GAH.

^{Love this week’s recipe? Forward it to a friend.
Someone send this to you? See the archive & sign up here!}