Oh my, these tacos are so good they are going to blow your socks off! K, so growing up we had a family friend from Mexico and she once taught my mom how to make a whole bunch of authentic Mexican food (all amazing). One thing she made was mashed potato tacos. I know, it sounds weird but they were quite good (probably because they were fried). Well, I wanted to take it a step further (and it’s actually easier) and use sweet potatoes because it would add more color, flavor, and just be awesome in combo with all the other flavors. And it totally is!
The meat is pretty simple since you just throw it in the crock-pot with the spices, cook, shred, and mix it with some of the juices.
The onions look a little different than what you’re probably used to but rest assured they are quite easy. You don’t have to make them like this but it gives them flavor and it makes them a little tender but still crisp. Plus the water they are in turns PINK! 🙂
Since these are fried tacos and I’m trying to calculate the nutrition facts for all my recipes I decided to get pretty accurate so I measured how much oil I put in the pan before frying and then I measure how much was left after frying. I was pleasantly surprised to find that each taco absorbed only 1/2 tablespoon oil! Not too bad! So anyway, that is what my nutrition facts reflect. If you are trying to limit your fat and calorie intake you can make these by cooking them like a quesadilla where you just spray the pan with some cooking spray instead of filling it with oil. By cooking them this way you cut out 7 grams fat and 62 calories per taco… but they really are so good fried.
Sweet Potato Tacos
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 1 2.5 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 cup beef broth, or 1 cup water with 1 beef bouillon cube
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 jalapenos, minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the onions:
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 3/4 cup boiling water
For the Tacos:
- Canola oil, for frying
- 16 small corn tortillas
- 1/2 recipe Spanish Rice
- 3 medium yams/sweet potatoes, cooked (poke and cook in microwave for 5-6 minutes)
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 cup Queso Fresco cheese
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 limes, cut in wedges
- Sour cream, optional
- Salsa, optional
Instructions
For the Beef:
- Spread onion wedges in the bottom of a crock-pot. Place the roast on top.
- Mix broth, tomato sauce, garlic, jalapenos, cumin, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Pour over the roast, put the lid on, and cook for 7-8 hours on LOW.
- Shred pork on a cutting board and place in a serving dish. Ladle 1/2-1 cup of the remaining juices over the shredded pork. Salt to taste.
For the Onions:
- Place sliced onion in a bowl or similar size dish. Add the lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and oregano. Pour the boiling water over the onion, cover, and set aside.
For the Tacos:
- Remove the skin from the yams and mash the the potatoes in a bowl.
- Fill a large skillet with oil 1/4 inch deep and heat over medium-high heat. Line a plate with paper towels and set close by.
- Take each tortilla and spread about 2-3 tablespoon of mashed sweet potato on one half of the tortilla staying 1/2 inch away from the edge. Gently fold the tortilla in half and then place in the hot oil (you'll have to cook in 3-4 batches depending on the size of your pan). Flip after 1 minute or until golden brown. When the other side is done, remove and drain on paper towel lined plate.
- Fill tacos with some Spanish Rice, shredded beef, red onions, avocado, cheese, cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, and salsa. Serve.
Notes
Recipe Source: Garnish & Glaze Original Recipe
Taco Version Nutrition:
Low Fat Quesadilla Version:
The tacos look gorgeous. I love the colors and I am sure the flavors are terrific.
Thank you Carrie! It’s delicious!
I love this dish, one of my favs. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Simon