Old State Fair Tacos - 1950’s
Prep time: 20 minutes * Cook time: 50 minutes * Makes 12 to 14 tacos
Ingredients
1 potato, about 4 inches long
1/4 head iceberg lettuce
3 cloves garlic
6 green onions
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup water
1/2 of a 4-ounce can green chilies
Salt and pepper to taste ( 1/4 teaspoon salt minimum)
Taco sauce, optional
12 to 14 white corn tortillas
Vegetable oil
Instructions
Boil or microwave potato so it’s soft. Let cool, remove skin and mash so pieces are no larger than 1/8 inch. Set aside.
Use a long knife to cut down the flat face of the lettuce. The cuts should be as thin as possible. Then cut all thin pieces into short pieces about 1 inch long. Set aside.
Use garlic press to crush garlic. Set aside. Slice green onions very thin. Use all white area and about 3/4 inch of green part. Place in a bowl and break apart onion rings. Set aside.
Break up and brown ground beef in large frying pan, preferably nonstick, constantly breaking up beef with spatula so it is in very small pieces; the smaller the better. When thoroughly cooked, drain off fat. Return meat to pan and add water, onion, chilies, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly to mix ingredients and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add lettuce, stir and cook about 5 minutes. Add potato, stir and cook until lettuce is very limp, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. More water can be added to ease stirring and cooking. The final consistency should be thick.
To make soft tortillas, heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, carefully place tortilla in oil about 2 seconds. Use tongs to turn tortilla over and cook another second or two and then place on a paper towel. Blot tortilla and set aside. Continue cooking remaining tortillas. (Tortillas may be steamed.)
With tortilla on a plate, spoon mixture on tortilla and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Add taco sauce, if desired. Carefully roll tortilla and mixture up.
Per taco based on 12 tacos: 177 cal.; 10 g pro.; 16 g carb.; 9 g fat (2 sat., 3 monounsat., 4 polyunsat.); 14 mg chol.; 139 mg sod.; 2 g fiber; 0 sugar; 44 percent calories from fat.
Source: Sacramento Bee January 18, 2006