Sweet Potato Tacos

Name: Sweet Potato Tacos
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 10 tacos
Ingredients: 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes; kosher salt; 1 tablespoon lard or canola oil; ½ cup loose-packed dried chiles de árbol; 6 garlic cloves; 3 tablespoons slivered or sliced almonds; 1 pound tomatillos; 1 cup rough-chopped store-bought roasted red bell peppers; ½ cup water; kosher salt; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 thyme sprigs; 10 corn tortillas; 4 ounces feta cheese; 4 tablespoons corn nuts; 1 bunch of scallions

User Reviews

5.0

9 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
Servings
10 tacos
Calories
186 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Mexican

Sweet Potato Tacos

Megan Mendez

Report

Hailing from Los Angeles's popular Guerrilla Tacos, these creative Sweet Potato Tacos pack tons of flavor into each vegetarian bite. Sweet potatoes are boiled, then seared in butter, topped with homemade almond salsa, salty feta, and crunchy corn nuts. What a delicious hand-held delight for your next Taco Tuesday!

Share:

I Made This!

Be the first!

Print

Be the first!

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings

1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes skins on (Japanese sweet potatoes are best, the long and thin kind with the red skin)
kosher salt

Almond Salsa:

1 tablespoon lard or canola oil
½ cup loose-packed dried chiles de árbol stemmed and roughly torn (knock out some of the seeds to make the spice level more family-friendly)
6 garlic cloves peeled
3 tablespoons slivered or sliced almonds
1 pound tomatillos husked and rinsed
1 cup rough-chopped store-bought roasted red bell peppers
½ cup water
kosher salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

To Finish:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more as needed
3 thyme sprigs
10 corn tortillas warmed
4 ounces feta cheese crumbled (Valbreso if you can find it)
4 tablespoons corn nuts
1 bunch of scallions green parts only, sliced about ⅛ inch thick

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

In a large saucepan or 6-quart stockpot, combine sweet potatoes and enough cold water to cover. Add salt until it’s as salty as the sea. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook 12 minutes or until potatoes are just cooked—you can stick a knife into one and it comes out clean. Drain and set potatoes aside. When they’re cool enough to handle, slice them into ½-inch coins or bite-size pieces and set aside.
To make the almond salsa: While potatoes simmer, warm a cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. When pan is hot, add lard. Once lard is melted, add chiles de árbol. When chiles are browned all over and smelling toasty, add garlic and almonds; cook 30 seconds. When garlic is slightly golden brown, add tomatillos, roasted peppers, water and 1 teaspoon salt to pan.
Cover and cook until the tomatillos are mushy, about 8 to 12 minutes—they should split easily and break apart when you push them with a spoon.
Remove skillet from heat and, using a slotted spoon, transfer solid ingredients to a blender, reserving cooking liquid in pan. Add olive oil and red wine vinegar to blender. (Cover the blender well and watch out you don’t touch the hot chile seeds during this part.) Blend until salsa is smooth, and season with salt. You want a little acidity, plus sweetness from the roasted peppers and heat from the chiles de árbol. Add some of the leftover cooking liquid to reach your desired consistency. It should be almost as thick as a milk shake. You’ll have about 3 cups of salsa, more than you’ll need for these tacos. The salsa will keep in the refrigerator for a couple weeks, or can be frozen for a few months.
Put your largest cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and warm butter until it’s melted and bubbling but not burning. Add a layer of potatoes to the pan—you want both sides of each potato slice to get a little browned, but not tough or crispy. Add some of the thyme and cook the potatoes until golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Flip them and brown the other side. Set the browned potatoes aside on a plate and cover with foil to keep them warm. Repeat until all the sweet potatoes are browned, using more butter as needed.
Top each tortilla with 3 to 4 slices potato and 1 tablespoon salsa, 1 tablespoon feta, ½ tablespoon corn nuts, and a sprinkle of scallions. Serve immediately.

Notes

The original recipe calls for 3 pounds of sweet potatoes which is way more than you need–I recommend using about half that amount to comfortably make about 10 tacos, give or take.
Adapted from Guerrilla Tacos
The original recipe calls for 3 pounds of sweet potatoes which is way more than you need–I recommend using about half that amount to comfortably make about 10 tacos, give or take.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Serving 1taco Calories 186kcal (9%) Carbohydrates 29g (10%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 9g (14%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 4g Cholesterol 16mg (5%) Sodium 290mg (12%) Potassium 337mg (10%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 7g (14%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10tacos

Amount Per Serving

Calories 186 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving	1taco
Calories	186kcal	9%
Carbohydrates	29g	10%
Protein	5g	10%
Fat	9g	14%
Saturated Fat	4g	20%
Polyunsaturated Fat	1g	6%
Monounsaturated Fat	4g	20%
Cholesterol	16mg	5%
Sodium	290mg	12%
Potassium	337mg	7%
Fiber	5g	20%
Sugar	7g	14%