This is a riff on the old Taco Hell “meat & potato burrito”, only better, because it won’t give you Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease. It can be very easily veganized.
For each burrito, you’ll need roughly 7-10 seasoned tater-tots. I have the magic of a convection toaster-oven to get them deep-fried crisp from frozen in about 12-15 min. Also, don’t try this with a 12″ tortilla; they’re just too small for the amount of stuff you’re putting in there.
INGREDIENTS:
* 18″-24″ restaurant-sized flour tortillas
* Bag o’ Classic frozen tater-tots
* Taco spice
* Taco Grounds (I luuuv me some El Burrito SoyTaco*)
* Refried beans
* Diced onion
* Green onion
* Fire-roasted frozen corn (optional)**
* Daiya Cheddar Shreds
* Shredded lettuce
* Guacamole
* Tofuti Sour Creme
* Salsa Picante OR can of diced tomatoes -drained (“salsa fresca”-w green chilies is goodness).
* Sliced black olives (optional)
* Sliced pickeled jalapeño (optional, but if you opt out, you’re a wuss. Go make yourself some farina).
DIRECTIONS:
1) Toast up your tots. If you want good, crispy tots in a regular oven, ignore the bag destructions, use an air-bake pan, preheat to 350f, and bake them longer. Or, use the broiler at the last minute. You want crisp, because they’re going into a skooshie burrito.
2) While tots are a’toastin’, prep all your other fillings. I tend to make my refried beans more restaurant-style by adding extra water or veggie broth to thin them, then heating in the nuke-box. If you’ve ever slung taco for a living, you know what I mean about thin frijoles, and you know its utility to good burrito assembly.
3) Heat your meat filling in the microwave. If I’m doing the frozen corn, I typically add it into this step.
4) When the tots are done, spritz lightly with spray oil, then toss in a bowl with taco seasoning.
5) Microwave or moist-towel oven-steam your tortillas. Soft tortillas are key to proper and safe burrito structural integrity!
6) Lay out your tortilla on a large clean flat work-surface. Get your mise uhhh… in place.
7) Stripe the side nearest you with a nice line of refried beans. Then a line of taco filling. Sprinkle shredded cheese on the beany-meat to encourage melty-goodness.
8) Place your seasoned tots on and near the melty-line.
9) Add the rest of the optional components in rough lines throughout the rest of the field of play, making sure to leave at least 1/3 of the tortilla empty. To this last 1/3, place a very thin later of refried again, but leaving about 1″-2′ of the outer tortilla lip empty. The scant extra frijoles will help bind the universe together.
10) Lastly, sprinkle a layer of shredded lettuce. This is a capillary safety-net that keeps the good goos in the burrito, and not ooozing out on to your plate to languish in a shameful puddle of fail and lack of burrito-making mojo. You’re better than that!
11) Start by rolling the bean/meat edge up first. When you get to the tot demarcation line, pleat and tuck your ends in. Keep rolling and gathering in as you go, until you have a burrito.
Eat, be happy and thank me later…
* = http://www.nowcasting.com/~elburrito/soytaco.html
**= Trader Joe’s carries frozen fire-roasted corn. It’s a staple to me. If you don’t have a TJ’s by you, it must really suck…
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When I read this, my saliva glands went into HIGH overdrive. I can’t wait to try it!!