weekend breakfast tacos
The thing I like the most about my weekends is the pace. I try to slow down, sleep in, take my time. And the perfect food for lazy weekends? Tacos, of the breakfast variety.
What makes these extra special is the homemade corn tortillas. They’re soft & warm & so incredibly delicious (and easy). You can also totally skip this step if you’re into the doing-less-is-more weekend mentality, and in that case I think you’d be better off with store bought flour tortillas or corn tortillas from a Mexican market.
Taco Ingredients:
1 russet potato, scrubbed well and diced into ½” cubes
6 slices bacon
½ white or yellow onion, diced
8 eggs
Tortillas (see below for my homemade tortilla recipe)
Toppings of choice: I like to put out Cholula, avocado, shredded monterey jack, sour cream and salsa
Directions:
Add diced potatoes to a medium pot and cover with water. Add enough salt to the water that it tastes like the sea. Bring to a boil and allow to cook until the potatoes are soft. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, fry your bacon in a large frying pan. When the bacon is crispy, set aside on a paper towel to drain. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease, reserve to use later! Add the potatoes and onions to the bacon fat and cook over medium high heat until browned. Season with pepper and additional salt, if necessary.
While the potatoes and onions are cooking, crack your eggs into a medium bowl. Add a tablespoon of water, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper and whisk well to combine.
When the potatoes and onions are ready, set them aside in a bowl with a plate on top to keep them warm. Wipe the pan out and add 2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat, adjusting the heat to medium. Pour the eggs in and stir occasionally, cooking to your preferred doneness (I like to remove them from the heat when they’ve just set).
Serves 4
Corn Tortilla Ingredients:
2 cups masa harina (I like Maseca brand, and it’s the easiest to find!)
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups lukewarm water
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the masa harina with the salt (note: this is not entirely traditional, and can be omitted if you prefer, but I like a little salt in mine!). Add 1 ¼ cups of the water and mix to combine. Add more water a tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft and smooth without being sticky, knead it a bit with your hands until it comes together (it should feel like Play Doh). Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow the dough sit for 10 minutes or so the masa can fully hydrateIf you don’t have a tortilla press you can use a heavy saucepan or plate, but I very much recommend buying a tortilla press. They’re inexpensive and do the job so much more efficiently than anything else! Take a gallon size plastic bag and cut a circle the same size as the tortilla press out of the plastic. Separate the two circles, open the tortilla press, and place one circle on the bottom plate of the press. Before you start pressing the tortillas, heat a flat grill pan or frying pan on medium high. Roll a chunk of masa into a ball the size of a golf ball and position it in the center of plastic circle. Place the second piece of plastic on top of the masa and lightly press the top plate down. Lift the lid and carefully peel the plastic off of the tortilla.
Cook the the tortilla for about a minute on each side until lightly browned. Continue the process until all of the masa is used. As you finish grilling each tortilla, wrap it in a clean dish towel inside a tortilla warmer or heavy lidded pot. This is an important step - stacking the tortillas together and keeping them warm will allow them to steam a bit and become the perfect texture. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Makes about 12 tortillas
Photos by the amazing & brilliant Juliana Slemenda.