Last month’s Charcutepalooza Challenge was all about making sausages (sans casings). I decided to make chorizo because I love to get my Mexican cooking on. Of course when I think of Mexican food I think of Rick Bayless so I turned to him for some inspiration.
I kind of knew that I wanted to make some chorizo tacos but wasn’t quite sure what was involved. Of course Rick has a recipe for chorizo tacos in . The recipe is actually for Chorizo, Potato, and Mushroom Tacos which sounded pretty good to me.
This recipe was beyond simple. You pretty much just sautée the chorizo, add the onions and mushroom, throw in the potatoes and you’re done. The potatoes were the one sticking point, literally. Maybe I didn’t have enough oil in my pan but I found that the shredded potatoes insisted on sticking… which made for a great mess.
I served the tacos on homemade tortillas with Bayless’ Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. I also added my new favourite hot sauce, El Yucateco for some serious extra kick and some avocado for contrast in texture.
The success of this dish pretty much hinges on the quality of your chorizo. I felt it was good but kind of thought that my chorizo could’ve used a bit more oomph. I found it kind of strange how little the mushrooms and potatoes contributed to the dish. They definitely added body but little in the way of flavour. The cilantro was a nice addition to add a bit of brightness to the whole mix.
This is a great super simple taco dish that would definitely hold up to variations in either the toppings or what you throw in with the chorizo. Oh, and the Roasted Tomatillo Salsa is FANTASTIC. I wish I could keep this in my fridge all the time.
Chorizo, Potato, and Mushroom Tacos
serves 4
12 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed
1 medium white onion, halved and sliced into rings
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
12 ounces potato, grated on the large holes of a grater (red skin, yukon gold, or russet)
salt
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro
12 warm corn tortillas
about 3/4 cup Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Crumble the chorizo into the hot skillet. Cook, stirring until the sausage is half-cooked.
Turn up the heat to medium-high and add in the onions and mushrooms. Cook, stirring until the onions and mushroom begin to soften.
Add the grated potato and cook until the potatoes are soft. Turn down the temperature if you find that the potatoes are browning before they start to soften.
Scrape the mixture into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Serve with warm tortillas and salsa.
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Makes 1 ½ cups
4 medium (about 8 ounces total) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
Hot green chiles to taste (I like 2 serranos or 1 jalapeño), stemmed and roughly chopped
About 1/3 cup (loosely packed) roughly chopped cilantro
½ small white onion, finely chopped
Salt
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Put the garlic and tomatillos (cut side down) in the pan. When the tomatillos are browned, turn everything over and brown the other side. When ready, the tomatillos should be completely soft.
Put the tomatillos and garlic into the blender or food processor and allow to cool to room temperature. Add the chile, cilantro and ¼ cup water. Blend to a coarse puree. Pour into a salsa dish and thin with a little additional water if necessary.
Scoop the chopped onion into a strainer and rinse under cold water. Stir into the salsa. Taste and season with salt, usually about ½ teaspoon.
Rick Bayless, Mexican Everyday
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I love chorizo! But you lost me at “mushroom.” They are mine enemy. But, since you didn’t feel the mushrooms added much… perhaps I could try them without
[…] to brown, since they have less fat than pork chorizo. I adapted this Rick Bayless recipe (via What’s On My Plate) and served it with a salad on the side. The recipe made 4 servings of 3 tacos each, but you could […]