Murph's Kitchen: Luanne's Ground Beef Tacos

Crispy Fried Tacos!

Taco Night in Murph's Kitchen

Every family has their own food traditions and the Murphy's are no exception. Tonight we will highlight one of my wife's family traditions with her mom's tacos. Cherie's lineage begins in southern Illinois where the food traditions are hearty and delicious. Luckily for both of us we grew up eating great food and are handing those traditions down to our children. Tonight we have a guest chef, Luanne aka "Nana" and she is a great cook and my mother in law. Luanne and Ray, who taught me how everything I know about grilling, moved to Tucson in 1961 and promptly fell in love with the local cuisine just as I did when I first visited Tucson in 1975.

Apparently, one of the hot spots for tacos back in the 60's was called Lloyd's and was located near the University of Arizona. Nothing fancy but they were renowned for great food. There are only a couple of different ways to do the classic ground beef taco. The first is to cook the beef separately with your favorite spices and then spoon it into a pre-formed taco shell and the second is to form a spiced patty inside the tortilla and deep fry both beef and tortilla at the same time forming the crispy taco shape in the hot oil. This technique imparts full flavor and enables you to add your own fillings as taste dictates. Our kids clamor for these when Nana visits!

Nana and Cherie working away!

Like me, Luanne is largely self taught and not afraid to try new things. After enjoying Lloyd's tacos for some time, she decided to take on the challenge of creating them in her own kitchen. A bit of trial and error ensued and eventually she perfected the techniques required and, trust me, these are some of the best tacos you will ever eat if you dare to make them on your own.

Murph and Nana shredding lechuga!

There are just a few of finer points you should know prior to jumping in. First, buy the leanest ground beef you can find. We prefer the 93% lean which prevents the spattering that would occur otherwise. Second, liberally season the beef with salt and pepper prior to the frying process and it's best to use vegetable or canola oil for frying as olive oil permeates and alters the flavors dramatically. Finally, spread the beef all the way to the edge of the corn tortilla prior to immersing in oil. Once the frying process starts, the beef pulls away from the edges of the tortilla. Technique is a big component of success here during the frying process as is a roll of paper towels and a good sized sheet pan. Finally, a good set of long handle tongs is a must for this dish.

Lettuce tip: if you prefer finely shredded lettuce as we do, alway shred from the inside of the head not the outside rounded portion. It is much easier to catch a fine edge with a sharp knife from the inside of the head.

Okay, I have a bit of a confession for this blog. We've discovered the "Skinnygirl Margarita" at Murph's Kitchen and after a bit of coaxing from Cherie, I've jumped in and enjoy this utterly refreshing drink, especially when we are having our favorite dishes from south of the border. We salt the rim and squeeze a liberal amount of fresh lime on top prior to serving and it's a great cocktail on a warm evening.

Remember, this is a fun dish that the whole family can help prepare. Family traditions around food are at the centerpiece of many of our lives and cooking is a team sport here at Murph's Kitchen. We make it together, we serve it together and we all have fun doing it together. From Murph's kitchen to yours, I hope you give these a try and have fun with the endeavor!

Luanne's Tacos

Ingredients

2 Pounds Lean Ground Beef
Two Dozen Small Corn Tortillas
One Head Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
2 Chopped Ripe Tomatoes
Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese
Trader Joe's Fancy Shredded Mexican Blend (or your favorite)
Salsa Fresca
Salt
Pepper
Crisco Oil

Begin by shredding the lettuce as finely as possible, chopping the tomatoes and hand crumbling the cotija cheese. Keep all these ingredients in bowls in the frig prior to serving as the best tacos have cold crispy lettuce on top. Cover the bottom of a large skillet with roughly 3/8 inch of oil and heat to medium high. Test the oil by dropping a few grains of salt into it and if it spatters, the oil is good to go.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees; it will serve as your holding bay during the frying process.

Lay the tortillas flat on a cutting board and gently pat the ground beef in a semi circle to a thickness of about 1/4 inch making sure the meat makes it all the way to the edge. Season with a generous amounts of salt and pepper. I usually do this in batches making about 6-8 at a time. This is one dish where a helper is a big plus. My daughter Tara who is 14 has been helping Nana by spreading the ground beef and seasoning since she was about 6 years old.

Grab the pre-made tacos by the meat side and gently drop the open side of the tortilla into the hot oil very slowly. Once the tortilla is half way immersed in the oil, fold the meat side on top making a perfect half circle.

Cook for about 1-3 minutes per side ensuring you get that golden brown required by the tastiest tacos. Slide your tongs in slowly under the taco and gently flip being careful no to loft the front of the tongs as the oil will run back down the handle and burn your palm if you're not careful.

Once both sides are golden brown, lift the taco from the pan and hold sideways draining as much oil as possible from each shell.

Draining the oil is critical

Cover a large sheet pan with paper towels and place the finished taco on the tray allowing to cool for a few moments prior to wrapping the whole thing in its own individual paper towel. This technique helps eliminate much of the greasiness that might occur.

We serve the shells on a big tray with the condiments on the side so everyone can dress them their own unique way. I prefer to add the cheese first so it melts a bit next to the warm beef and I always add the salsa last but there are as many different approaches as there are people at the table. This is a great meal for a large party and seems to impart a special air of fun.