Sweet Potato and Chorizo Taco with Almond Salsa and Seasoned Jalapeños
Ingredients:
3 lbs sweet potatoes
1 lb chorizo or pork sausage
1 Tbl neutral oil
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Put the sweet potatoes on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour or until tender or until you can stick a knife into one and comes out clean. When the potatoes are cooled, slice into ½ “slices. Put your largest cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the chorizo and cook until browned and cook through. Remove the chorizo from the skillet and keep warm.
Leave the fat in the skillet and add oil as necessary. On medium-high heat add a layer of the sliced potatoes to the skillet. You want both sides of each potato slice to get a little browned, but not tough or crispy. Flip them and brown the other side. Keep warm.
Almond salsa
Ingredients:
1 Tbl neutral oil
¼ cup loose-packed dried, stemmed, and roughly torn dried chiles de arbol
6 garlic cloves, peeled
5 Tbl slivered almonds
1 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 cup rough-chopped store-bought roasted red bell peppers
½ cup water
Sea salt
3 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
8 corn or flour tortillas, warmed
1Tbl butter
4 oz feta cheese
4 Tbl corn nuts or Fritos corn chips
4 Tbl green onions, chopped
Pickled red onion (recipe follows)
Directions:
Warm a cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and add the chiles de arbol. When the chiles are browned all over and smelling toasty, add the garlic and almonds and cook for 30 seconds. When the garlic is slightly golden, add the tomatillos, roasted peppers, water, and 1 tsp salt to the pan. Cover and cook until the tomatillos are mushy, about 8 minutes. They should split easily and break apart when you push them with a spoon.
Remove the skillet from the heat and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the solid ingredients to a blender and reserve the cooking liquid in the pan. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar to the blender.
Cover the blender well and blend until salsa is nice and smooth, then season with salt.
You want a little acidity, plus the sweetness from the roasted red peppers and heat from the chiles de arbol.
Check the salsa and add some of the leftover liquid to reach your desired consistency.
To warm tortillas:
In a 10 “skillet, over medium heat warm 1 Tbl of unsalted butter. Add tortillas one at a time. Coat the first side with the melted butter and let them heat up for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then immediately flip to coat the second side. Season with salt. Don’t crisp or brown them, you want to heat them up. Keep them warm wrapped in foil.
On top of each tortilla, add in this order, 2 slices of potato, 2 Tbl cooked chorizo, 1 Tbl salsa, 1 Tbl feta, ½ Tbl corn nuts or corn chips, pickled red onions and a sprinkle of green onions. Serve immediately.
Quick Pickle Red Onion
Ingredients:
1 small red onion
1/2 cup white vinegar, rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 Tbl sugar
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
Thinly slice the red onion—a mandolin works wonders here. Place and all
other ingredients in a bowl and stir. Serve immediately. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Charred Seasoned Jalapeños
Ingredients:
6 jalapeños, whole
Salt
3 limes, halved
Directions:
In a small skillet, preferably cast iron. Place the skillet over high heat, roast whole jalapenos and get them nice and charred. This can take up to 4 minutes. Once roasted on both sides let cool. Cut off the stems, and slice the chiles open. You can take the seeds out or not depending on how hot you want them. Then cut each half into slivers. Put them in a bowl sprinkle with salt and squeeze the limes over the top.