Taco Night

Tonight was taco night in our house. We have been making these tacos ever since I can remember, but this is one of the few recipes that my family didn't actually start. These crunchy gifts were introduced to us by the Smith family. We all get our family recipes somewhere, right? Sometimes they come from close family friends.  Growing up we would make these almost weekly. Anytime we had big family dinners at our house, tacos were almost always on the menu with my dad at the helm and the three daughter prepping all the tortillas. My mom would be creating a new mouthwatering dessert, and the baby boy of the family was in charge of following the messy cooks around with a garbage bag. It was always a group effort on Sundays. We would spend the time in the kitchen talking about anything and everything and chances are my dad was teasing someone. Everyone was always so excited to come over for taco night at our house. These tacos have always been my go-to dinner when I want to impress someone. Is that weird? Maybe. During My Freshman year at college I was living in BYU student housing and often times there were would be a flyer on my door for a dessert party at one of the other apartments in my building. I would go mingle and try to make new friends. After going to a few of these parties where the dessert was sparse and really not that great, I decided to have my own party. My party wasn't a dessert part though, instead I put flyers on about 50+ doors saying "Taco Night bring your appetite." So I told my parents about my plan and they took me shopping. A few hundred dollars later I had the makings for a great taco night. By the time the night was over I had made over 200 tacos. I cooked most the night but I also was the girl who made killer tacos and there were no left overs. So if you ever want an easy way to impress people these tacos are your answer.

They require three simple ingredients, Corn tortillas, garlic salt, and ground beef. You will also need lard or oil for frying. I prefer Lard it gives them a good crunch and they end up being less greasy. 

The first thing you do is get your ground beef, only a little, and spread it on one side of you tortilla and then you sprinkle garlic salt over the top of the beef. Repeat this process with the rest of the tortillas and stack your tacos so the meat is on the opposite side. If you put all the meat on one side your pile will fall over. 

Your oil or lard should be hot by now. You will need to fold your taco in half and place it in the hot oil. You will want to hold the bottom part of the taco in the oil for a few second to keep it from cracking. then place the taco on its side and let it cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. It will be a nice golden brown when its done.

Once your tacos are done place them in a serving dish over paper towels. You will want to place the tacos upside down so you can let all the excess oil drain. Once all your tacos are cooked you can stuff them with you favorite ingredients. My go-to is homemade salsa and shredded cheese. Enjoy!

Quick Look

Makes over 30 tacos 

1 lb ground beef

package of corn tortillas

garlic salt

lard or oil for frying

1. Heat lard or oil in skillet. The oil should be about 2 inches deep.

2. Spread about 1.5 teaspoons of ground beef on one side of tortilla and sprinkle meat with garlic salt. repeat with the remainder of the tortillas.

3.  Fold the tortilla in half and place in the oil. First let the bottom of the tortilla sit in the oil for a few seconds to prevent the tortilla from breaking.

4. Place the taco on its side and cook each side for 3 - 5 minutes until golden brown.

5. Build your own taco with all your favorite toppings and enjoy!