Texas-Style Crispy Ground Turkey Tacos

Photo: Paul Goyette from Chicago, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source

Old-school Tex-Mex hard-shell tacos made the right way: corn tortillas fried to order around a chili-spiced ground turkey filling, stuffed with lettuce, tomato and cheddar.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• ½ onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced (half for the filling)
• ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 romaine heart, shredded
• 2 cups shredded cheddar
• 1 cup salsa

From your pantry: 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp dried oregano, pinch cayenne, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp oil, oil for frying.

Instructions

1. Cook the onion and jalapeño in 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-low until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
2. Add the turkey, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, salt, pepper, half the tomatoes and half the cilantro. Cook, breaking up the meat, then simmer on low until browned and saucy, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and taste.
3. Heat 1 inch of oil to 350°F in a heavy skillet and line a sheet pan with paper towels. Hold a tortilla folded in a U with tongs, dip one half in the oil until crisp, about 10 seconds, then flip and crisp the other half and the fold. Drain upside down.
4. Fill each shell with turkey, then lettuce, the remaining tomato, cheddar and cilantro. Serve right away with salsa.

Tip: Slightly stale tortillas fry crisper and soak up less oil. To skip frying, brush them with oil, drape over two oven rack bars and bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes.

Nutrition per serving

Good for

Adapted from Homesick Texan.

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