Carne Asada French Fry Tacos
This recipe is sponsored by Old El Paso
I went on a three week self guided tour of California this past summer and had the best time eating everything in sight. The trip consisted of both work and play, and I saw all the big cities and more, but one of the highlights was carne asada fries. I had never had carne asada fries before this trip, but once I tried them I needed to get them at every stop!
In the name of “research” I tried the smothered fries all over San Diego so I could make some cool recipes when I got back. One of my ideas was to put the fries and all the toppings right into a taco, and this is what I came up with. I actually thought the fries might get lost in the taco, but the crunch of the shell mixed with the tender creamy potatoes and cheese are what made these tacos so unique and delicious.
The first few times I made fries I hated the process but now I love it. Cutting the potatoes into perfect thick french fries is a lot of fun!
Fry them once to cook, fry them again to brown.
The steak is marinated and then grilled to a perfect medium.
Fill the shells with the fries and cheese and then bake for 10 minutes to get the cheese to melt. Then top with the rest of the toppings.
Steak, pico, guac, and sour cream. These were the ingredients on every carne asada fry I ate on my trip, so it’s what I put in the tacos.
Like I said I thought the fries would get lost, but they actually went soo well with the crunchy shells and tasty meat and toppings. It was like I was trasported right back to so-cal!
Carne Asada French Fry Tacos
Ingredients
french fries (you could also use frozen)
- 3 large russet potatoes
- oil for frying
steak and marinade
- 1 skirt steak 1.5 to 2 pounds
- 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 an onion minced
- salt and pepper
pico
- 5 to tomatoes diced
- 1/2 an onion use the other half of the one from the marinades
- 3 jalapenos seeded and diced
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 lime juiced
tacos
- 2 avocados
- 1 cup sour cream
- 12 Old El Paso crunchy shell tacos
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and slice into fries. Rinse in cold water until water runs clear. Soak in cold water for 45 minutes.
- Bring oil to 350. Fry potatoes in batches for about 8 minutes to cook through. Remove from oil and drain.
- Bring oil to 450. Fry potatoes in batches for about 3 minutes to crisp and brown. Remove from oil and drain.
- If using frozen french fries, cook according to package instructions.
- Mix all the meat marinade ingredients with the steak in a large bowl. Allow to marinate for 45 minutes.
- Mix all the pico ingredients and allow to sit in the fridge until ready to use.
- Mash up the avocados, and add a scoop of pico to it. Season with salt and pepper and store in the fridge until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350
- Grill the steak on the grill or on a cast iron grill pan, about 6 minutes per side, to a medium doneness. Allow to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing the steak against the grain into thin strips.
- Fill the taco shells with a few fries in each shell. Top with cheese. Bake the shells with the fries and cheese in them for 10 minutes.
- Remove the shells from the oven. Top with steak, then add guac, pico, and sour cream. Serve.