Name: Potato taquitos with salsa roja
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 20
Ingredients: 500 gm Desiree potatoes, thickly sliced; 2 tbsp lard, plus extra for frying; ½ onion, finely chopped; 1 chorizo (about 120gm), skin removed, finely chopped; 1 dried guajillo chilli, thinly sliced (see note); Yellow corn tortillas; 250 gm yellow masa flour (see note) (1¾ cups); Salsa roja; 3 vine-ripened tomatoes; 6 long red chillies; 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tsp white wine vinegar

Potato taquitos with salsa roja

Recipe for potato taquitos with salsa roja.

Serves 20

Prep

50M

Cook

50M

Total

1H 40M

Taquitos are tortillas that have been filled, rolled and fried crisp. We’ve cooked them in lard, but you could use vegetable oil.

Ingredients

500 gm Desiree potatoes, thickly sliced

2 tbsp lard, plus extra for frying

½ onion, finely chopped

1 chorizo (about 120gm), skin removed, finely chopped

1 dried guajillo chilli, thinly sliced (see note)

Yellow corn tortillas

250 gm yellow masa flour (see note) (1¾ cups)

Salsa roja

3 vine-ripened tomatoes

6 long red chillies

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp white wine vinegar

Method

Main

1.For yellow corn tortillas, combine flour, 330ml hot water and a large pinch of salt in a bowl and mix with your hands until a soft dough forms. Cover closely with plastic wrap and set aside to rest (15 minutes). Divide dough into 20 pieces and roll into balls. Line a tortilla press (see note) with two squares of baking paper, then, working with one ball at a time, press gently but firmly in press to form a thin disc. Set aside on baking paper and cover with a tea towel.

2.Place potato in a saucepan, add enough cold water to just cover, season with salt, bring to the boil over high heat and cook until tender (10-12 minutes). Drain and set aside.

3.Melt lard in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add onion, stir occasionally until tender (4-6 minutes), add chorizo and stir occasionally until cooked through (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat, add chilli and potato, crush with a fork, stir to combine, season to taste and set aside.

4.For salsa roja, blister tomatoes and chillies over a gas flame until blackened (2-4 minutes), transfer to a bowl, cover with foil and set aside to steam (15 minutes). When cool enough to handle, peel, finely chop, combine with oil and vinegar in a bowl, season to taste and set aside.

5.Spoon 2 tsp potato mixture across centre of each tortilla, fold in ends, roll to form a cylinder and set aside on a tray lined with baking paper.

6.Heat 2cm lard in a deep-sided frying pan over medium-high heat, add taquitos in batches and cook, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp (3-5 minutes). Drain on absorbent paper and season to taste. Serve warm with salsa roja.

Note Guajillo chillies are commonly used in Mexican cooking. If they’re unavailable, substitute a long red dried chilli. Yellow masa flour (also known as masa harina or harina de maíz) is a yellow nixtamalised corn flour. If you don’t have a tortilla press, you can use a rolling pin to flatten the tortillas. Yellow masa flour, tortilla presses and guajillo chillies are available from Mexican food shops including Monterey Mexican Foods.
Drink Suggestion: Rustic, spicy grenache rosé. Drink suggestion by Max Allen
Notes