Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prep: Peel and cube potatoes.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil 20 minutes until fork-tender. Drain, return to pot, and mash until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté 2 minutes until softened.
- Add ground beef. Break up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in Spanglish Asadero Carne Asada Seasoning and cook 1–2 minutes more.
- Mix mashed potatoes into the beef mixture until well combined. Taste and add a little more seasoning if desired. Remove from heat.
- Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave 30 seconds until pliable. Keep covered to stay soft.
- Spoon potato-beef filling onto one half of each tortilla. Fold over to form tacos and press gently to seal.
- Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a deep skillet to 350°F. Fry tacos in batches, 1 minute per side, until golden and crispy.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
- Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce, topped with Mexican crema, salsa, chopped cilantro, crumbled queso fresco, and lime wedges.
- PRO TIPS & DIAL-INS
- Seasoning: 2 tbsp Spanglish Asadero Carne Asada Seasoning gives great bold flavor — add up to 1 extra tbsp for stronger taste.
- Crispier tacos: Don’t overcrowd the pan and maintain oil temperature at 350°F.
- Make-ahead: Prepare potato-beef filling up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate. Reheat slightly before filling tortillas.
- Heat level: Add diced jalapeño with the onion and garlic for extra kick.
- Shortcut: Use leftover mashed potatoes to speed things up.
Nutrition
Notes
- Oil temperature holds the crunch — Keep the frying oil at 350°F throughout. Use a thermometer. Below that and the shells go soft; above and they brown before the filling heats through.
- Fry in batches — 3–4 tacos max per round. Crowding drops the oil temp and you lose the crunch. Let the oil recover between batches.
- Use the full seasoning amount — 2 tbsp of Spanglish Asadero Carne Asada Seasoning seasons the beef and potato together, so the flavor holds all the way through. Under-season here and every bite is flat.
- Press the fold before frying — After folding, press the tortilla firmly before placing in the oil. A loose fold opens in the pan and the filling spills. A toothpick through the seam for the first 30 seconds holds it if needed.
- Warm tortillas right before filling — Microwave in a damp paper towel for 30 seconds, then fill and fold immediately while pliable. Cold tortillas crack when folded.
- Rest on a rack, not a plate — A wire rack over a sheet pan keeps shells crispier longer. The steam has somewhere to go instead of softening the bottom.
- The toppings are part of the recipe, not decoration. Shredded lettuce goes down first — the cold base offsets the hot shell. Crema, salsa, queso fresco, and cilantro go on top. Squeeze lime over everything right before eating.
- Mexican rice and black beans on the side turn this into a full plate without much additional work. Both can be prepped ahead. For a sharper condiment, a charred tomatillo salsa cuts through the richness of the fried shell better than a mild red salsa.
- For a bigger spread, set up a toppings bar and let people build their own. The filling holds at room temperature for 20–30 minutes, which makes this work for casual entertaining without plating to order.
- Store the filling and fried shells separately when possible — assembled and fried tacos lose their crunch in the refrigerator. If already assembled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheat in a 375°F oven or air fryer for 5–7 minutes to bring back some crunch. Microwave reheating works but the shell will be soft.
- Unfried filling keeps well — refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When ready, warm the filling slightly, fold into warmed tortillas, and fry fresh. That's the move for meal prep.