Tacos de Canasta

Ingredients

• 24 fresh small corn tortillas (4-inch)
• 2 medium russet potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 6 oz fresh Mexican chorizo, casing removed
• 1 1/2 cups refried pinto or black beans (homemade or canned, warmed and slightly thinned)
• 1 cup cooked chicharrón (fried pork rind) simmered in 1 cup salsa verde (tomatillo, serrano, garlic, onion) until softened
• 1 cup neutral oil (or melted lard), plus 2 dried guajillo chiles for infusing
• Shredded cabbage or lettuce, for serving
• Pickled red onions or jalapeños, for serving
• Salsa roja or verde, for serving
• Lime wedges, for serving

Before you cook

• Boil the potatoes until fork-tender, then mash them with a little salt and set aside.
• Cook the chorizo in a dry skillet over medium heat, breaking it up, until browned and rendered, then stir it into the mashed potato.
• Warm the refried beans with a splash of water until they are spreadable, not stiff.
• Simmer the chicharrón in the salsa verde over low heat for 10 minutes so it softens and drinks up the sauce, then set aside.
• Line a basket or large heatproof bowl with a plastic bag, then a clean kitchen towel, then a sheet of parchment or butcher paper, leaving enough overhang on all layers to fold back over the top later.
• Warm the dried guajillo chiles in the oil over low heat for 5 minutes to infuse it, then remove the chiles and keep the oil warm over the lowest heat.

Steps

1. Heat a dry comal or heavy skillet over medium heat.
2. Lay one tortilla on the comal for about 10 seconds per side, just until pliable, and keep it stacked under a towel with the others as you go.
3. Place a warm tortilla flat on your palm and spoon about a tablespoon of one filling (potato-chorizo, beans, or chicharrón verde) just off-center.
4. Fold the tortilla in half over the filling and press the edge gently to seal; it does not need to be tight.
5. Repeat filling and folding the remaining tortillas, keeping each filling type in its own small pile so you remember which is which.
6. Pour a thin layer of the infused oil into a large skillet and set it over medium heat until shimmering.
7. Lay 5 or 6 folded tacos into the oil at a time and fry for about 15 seconds per side, just to seal the fold and pick up a little color, not to crisp them.
8. Lift each fried taco with a slotted spoon and lay it straight into the lined basket, building flat, slightly overlapping layers.
9. Once all the tacos are stacked, pour the remaining warm chile oil evenly over the top of the pile.
10. Fold the parchment paper over the top of the tacos, then the towel, then seal the plastic bag loosely over everything.
11. Set something flat and slightly heavy on top of the covered basket and let the tacos steam undisturbed for 45 minutes to 1 hour; they are ready when the tortillas look soft, shiny, and slightly see-through at the edges.
12. Unwrap the basket and serve the tacos warm, topped with shredded cabbage, pickled onions, a spoonful of salsa, and a squeeze of lime.