A meal so good I’ve been asked to make it again almost weekly.

We’ve had all kinds of tacos – the beef tacos used to rule supreme – but after this adventure, move out all other meats: we have a new king, Chorizo.

Mexican chorizo - it’s an important difference because the origin of this delicious pork sausage is Spain and Portugal. However, that version is a bit different as it’s fermented, cured and smoked and can be sliced as you would slice salami.

We saw a version of that Spanish/Portuguese chorizo in the Caldo Verde - Portuguese Greens Soup.

The Mexican version is made with chili peppers, surprisingly uncommon in traditional Mexican cuisine, and it’s closer to what you’d typically think of a sausage. And obviously it’s spicier, but not a burning heat more of an delicious, enchanting aftertaste.

The grease on the taco above was a mistake in the cooking process: I used too much chorizo.

Recipe

There’s a lot of variation in the sausage itself - depending on brand, so I am experimenting to see which yields the best result.

The recipe calls for 3 ounces of chorizo, but I’d honestly use twice that amount for how delicious it is.

Either way, it produces a large amount of grease, so I think it would help if one were to increase a bit the amount of potatoes. I’d say one extra cup of cubed potatoes for each 3 extra ounces of chorizo.

Speaking of which, I would recommend increasing the time you spend cooking the potatoes in the first phase (see below). The second time I made the recipe I cooked them till they started browning, almost close to country potato fries. It added a bit of crunch to the taco and also soaked more of the grease.

Ingredients

• 2 poblano chiles
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 cups diced white potato (depending on how you feel about potatoes, I’d use more - 1 extra cup per 3 oz of extra chorizo)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 ounces Mexican raw (use double - it’s delicious!)
• chorizo, casings removed
• 3/4 cup unsalted chicken stock
• 3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 ounce Manchego cheese, shredded (about 1/4 cup)
• 8 lime wedges

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Cut poblanos in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes.
   Place poblano halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand.
   Broil 8 minutes or until blackened.
   Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 5 minutes.
   Peel; coarsely chop.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
   Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.
   Add potato; cook 5 minutes (I’d say cook till they’re done), stirring occasionally.
   Remove potato; place in a large bowl.
   Add onion to pan; cook 3 minutes.
   Add poblano, corn, red pepper, and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
   Add onion mixture to potato.
   Add chorizo to pan; cook 1.5 minutes (adjust this based on how long it takes to propertly cook), stirring to crumble.
   Return potato mixture to pan.
   Stir in stock and salt; bring to a boil.
   Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until potato is tender, chorizo is done, and liquid almost evaporates.
4. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, heat tortillas over medium-high heat directly on the eye of a burner for about 15 seconds on each side or until lightly charred.

Arrange about 1/3 cup potato mixture in center of each tortilla; top with 1/2 teaspoons onions and 1/2 teaspoons cheese.

Serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4 (serving size: 2 tacos and 2 lime wedges)

• Calories 348;
• Fat 14.9g (sat 5.8g, mono 6.5g, poly 2.69);
• Protein 11.4g;
• Carbs 46.6g;
• Fiber 6.1g;
• Iron 1mg; sodium 447mg; calcium 146mg