Fiesta Potato Bowl
Whether you're craving Taco Bell or just want something that merges your two favorite things -- tacos and potatoes, you've come to the right place.
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Skillet
Ingredients
From the Spice Cabinet...
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Cumin
- Tony Chachere's
- 1 packet Taco Seasoning (I like the mild Taco Bell seasoning packet)
From the Grocery Store....
- 1 lb Lean Ground Beef (I typically use 93/7 these days)
- ¼ cup White Onion diced
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic (I buy mine already minced in olive oil)
- ¼ cup Hidden Valley Ranch (I've switched to Lite Ranch)
- 4 Medium Sized Potatoes peeled, diced (I usually get a 5 lb bag from the store and pick from there)
- 1 bag Kraft's Signature Cheddar Blend Cheese (or whatever shredded cheese you want)
- Shredded Lettuce
- 1 Tomato
- 1 bunch Fresh Cilantro
- Daisy's Sour Cream
- Olive Oil Or Avocado Oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375. Start with the potatoes because they are pretty much the longest thing that takes to cook. You can do this two different ways and I'll explain the other way later. But for this dish, we're going to peel the skin off the potatoes, optional, and then I slice the potato into big slices and then dice those slices into four pieces. After this, give a quick rinse.
- After prepping the potatoes, I have them in a bowl at this point. I'm going to season them with the Salt, Pepper, Onion & Garlic Powders, and a little Tony Chachere's. I'm also going to put a drizzle of olive oil (or avocado or another oil) and mix the seasonings and oil all over the potatoes.
- After seasoning thoroughly, spread the potatoes on the baking sheet and pop in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Check to make sure they don't overcook and don't stick to the foil or bottom of the pan.
- Once the potatoes are in, get your skillet turned on and start chopping up your toppings while waiting. Dice your white onions, collect or mince your garlic, chop up some cilantro, dice some tomatoes, and collect or shred your lettuce.
- Once you check the potatoes and toppings have been prepped, you can start your meat mixture. In a medium to large skillet on medium heat, toss in your lean ground beef, breaking it up as it browns.
- As the meat begins to brown and cook, you can season with Salt, Pepper, Onion & Garlic Powder and I like adding a little Cumin.
- While it's browning, also add in your onions and garlic.
- Once the meat is completely brown and if you need to drain your meat, then do so how you desire. After this, add in your taco seasoning packet and mix it in. You can even add a little water to loosen the mixture up a little bit.
- After this, I take about a tablespoon of ranch dressing and add that to my taco meat mixture. I do this for regular tacos as well.
- Once that's all mixed together and the potatoes are coming together nicely, make sure the potatoes are fork tender before you start plating.
- To assemble; we start with a bed of those potatoes, add some shredded cheese on top of the potatoes, taco meat on top of the cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, a dollop of sour cream, and some chopped cilantro for garnish.
Notes
So, I mentioned earlier that there was another way of doing potatoes. There was a recipe elsewhere for roasted potatoes. I saw where people boiled the potatoes til tender first and then shook them in a bowl to "roughen" the edges before seasoning and baking. I loved this way of going roasted potatoes as well and they were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
It's also worth noting that I used russet potatoes and Daven uses Yukon Golds in his. Different potatoes, could yield a different results.
Same thing with skin on or skin off. Daven left his skin on his yukons and I peeled mine off of my russets. It's up to personal preference.