Spiced Potato Tacos

These tacos stemmed from a slight mishap – they were supposed to be sweet potato tacos. When I found my sweet potatoes had gone moldy (d’oh!), I improvised with some baby red potatoes I had laying around, and boom: a delicious dinner was born. These are a “throw together with whatever you have” meal, so they’re infinitely adaptable: I served mine with mashed avocado and sour cream, but I think a quick lime slaw would be super tasty here, or some chipotle crema probably wouldn’t suck.

Ingredients:

Potatoes (I used baby red potatoes, but I think just about any type you have on hand would work here)

Cumin

Chili Powder

Garlic Powder

Paprika

Chipotle Powder (if you don’t have/can’t find this, just add a little cayenne to taste – you can also sub out the regular paprika for smoked/hungarian paprika if you want that smokey flavor)

Salt

Pepper

Refried black beans (I got mine straight from a can and it was just fine – I think black bean hummus would also be fantastic here)

Small flour torillas

Garnishes of your choice…pictured here is sour cream, avocado mashed with a little lime juice and salt, and cilantro. Some other suggestions: Cotija or queso fresco, chipotle crema, quick cilantro lime slaw (bagged broccoli slaw mixed with a ton of lime juice, salt, and cilantro)

Instructions:

Heat oven to 425F. Chop potatoes (I made these for two people, and used 1lb baby red potatoes, which was just a bit more than we needed for five tacos – two and a half for each of us. Amounts can easily be adjusted for number of people you need to feed/how hungry you are) into small chunks; place in large bowl. Drizzle about 1 TBSP olive oil over potatoes and sprinkle with spices (I used about equal amounts of cumin, chili powder and garlic powder, to about half the amount of paprika and chipotle powder, then added salt and pepper to taste). Adjust for how spiced you want your potatoes, but don’t skimp on the spice – this is where 90% of the flavor comes from. Toss. Spread potatoes in a mostly even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet; roast in pre-heated oven for about 25 minutes, or until golden and a little crispy (for crispier potatoes, use aluminum foil instead of parchment – just be careful of sticking). Mix potatoes once during roasting. Set aside when done.

While potatoes roast, char your tortillas – if you’re lucky enough to have a gas range, this can be done over the open flame. I don’t, and char my tortillas in a dry cast iron skillet over high heat for about 30 seconds to a minute on each side. If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, I’m sure a regular skillet would work (I just wouldn’t use a non-stick skillet, since the pan needs to get super hot). Heat refried beans on stovetop until warmed through, spread some beans on each tortilla (if using hummus, spread on tortillas cold). Top with roasted potatoes and garnish to your heart’s content, serve immediately.