San Antonio Puffy Tacos

Ingredients

• 2 cups masa harina
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 lb ground beef, 85/15
• 1 russet potato, peeled and finely diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup salsa verde

Before you cook

• Peel and finely dice the potato.
• Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
• Mix the masa harina, warm water and 3/4 teaspoon salt into a soft dough that feels like fresh clay, adding water a tablespoon at a time if it cracks.
• Cover the dough and rest it for 20 minutes.
• Cut two squares of plastic from a zip-top bag to line a tortilla press.

Steps

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat for 6 minutes.
2. Add the diced potato and onion and cook 8 minutes, until the potato is tender at the center.
3. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and 1 teaspoon salt and cook 1 minute.
4. Pour in the beef broth and simmer 5 minutes until the picadillo is moist but not wet, then keep it warm.
5. Heat the frying oil in a deep skillet to 375 degrees F.
6. Divide the masa dough into 8 balls the size of golf balls and keep them covered.
7. Press one ball between the plastic sheets into a 5-inch round about an eighth of an inch thick.
8. Peel the plastic away and slide the round gently into the oil.
9. Spoon hot oil over the top of the round for 15 seconds until it puffs up like a pillow.
10. Press the center of the puffed round with a metal spatula to make a crease and fold it into a taco shape, holding it for 20 seconds.
11. Fry the shell 30 seconds more per side until pale gold and crisp on the outside, then drain it upside down.
12. Repeat with the remaining dough, keeping the oil at 375 degrees F.
13. Fill each puffy shell with picadillo, lettuce, cheddar and tomato.
14. Serve immediately with salsa verde, since the shells soften within minutes.