I have always been a soft taco person. Specifically, soft tacos made with flour tortillas. In my experience, hard tacos are awkward to assemble and shatter as soon as you bite into them. And, although I love corn chips and cornbread and all manner of other "corn-y" things, soft corn tortillas just never quite taste right to me. They seem like they should taste good, but I always find the flavour just slightly disappointing and off-putting. So, for years, whenever we've had tacos, it's always been with soft flour tortillas. Occasionally I'll pick up a few soft corn tortillas for TF to use since I know he likes them. But hard tacos? Never.

Until now!

America's Test Kitchen has rocked my world yet again! The most recent issue of Cook's Illustrated delved into the origins of the hard taco and introduced "tacos dorados" (golden tacos). This is apparently what the crispy taco was meant to be before it got Americanized and boxed up into taco "kits" as a convenience food. And it's brilliant!

Rather than starting with a sleeve of pre-fried hard taco "shells", you do, in fact, start with soft corn tortillas. Tortillas that get gently warmed to make them extra soft and pliable, filled with flavourful spiced beef, and then fried to make them crispy and delicious.

Yes, that's right, you fry them after you fill them. Mind blown! Not only does this make them easier to fill, but the outside gets wonderfully crisp while the spine remains pliable enough to open (for adding toppings) and eat without the whole thing shattering and pouring meat and grease all over your hands! Tacos dorados aren't significantly more difficult or time-consuming to make than either hard or soft tacos and they're definitely both more delicious and less messy than either. I have found my taco happy place!

(Oh, and just in case you were wondering: the frying and crisping does seem to perk up the corn tortillas and do away with the disappointment I'd experienced with them in the past.)

Tacos Dorados

Slightly adapted from Cook's Illustrated July/August 2018

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 lb. lean ground beef¹
• 7 Tbsp. peanut oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 4 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar + extra for topping
• 12-16 corn tortillas (6-8" diameter)
• shredded lettuce
• chopped tomato
• sour cream
• pickled jalapeños

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Combine water and baking soda in a large bowl. Add beef and mix well. Set aside.
3. Cook onion over medium heat in 1 Tbsp. of oil until softened.
4. Add chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and sea salt and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add tomato paste and cook for an additional minute.
6. Add beef, breaking up into small chunks and mixing with onion and spices.
7. Although the recipe didn't call for it, I also chose to add a splash of water at this stage. I think I put ~1/3 c. I find it helps with getting the meat evenly coated with spices and adds a bit of moisture and sauciness without making it "sloppy" or overly messy.
8. Using 2 tbsp. of the oil, brush tortillas to lightly coat with oil on both sides. Bake at 400F for 5 minutes.²
9. Once meat is cooked through, remove from pan and add 1/2 c. shredded cheese. Mix to combine.
10. Wipe out pan and add 1/4 c. oil.
11. Fill the tacos. Use ~2 Tbsp. of filling for 6" tortillas or 3-4 Tbsp. for 8" tortillas. Spread the filling over half the tortilla and then fold it over (it will be open on the sides, this is fine and expected).
12. Gently place your filled tacos into the pan with the hot oil (you'll have to work in batches). Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until both sides are dark golden-brown, but not charred or burnt.³
13. Remove fried, crispy tacos from pan. You may now dress them up as you see fit. Thanks to the flexible spine you should be able to open them up like a book to add sour cream, extra cheese, jalapeños, or whatever else your heart desires!
14. Once topped and garnished to your satisfaction, close it up and enjoy the perfectly crisp, non-shattering goodness of a golden taco!

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¹ Recommended 90% lean. <sup>Back

2</sup> I think I'd try cutting this down to only 3 or 4 minutes next time. It might also be interesting to see if warming them in the microwave (either with or without oil) yields similar results. <sup>Back

3</sup> I had some trouble with the whole "not burnt" aspect. Don't worry! Even the burnt ones were delicious. The not-burnt ones were, however, slightly more delicious, so I do recommend not burning if at all possible. ;P ^Back