Picadillo Tacos

A while back, I made a recipe from the cookbook Melissa's DYPs. At that time, I didn't happen to have any actual Dutch Yellow Potatoes (that's the DYPs in the book title), so I used regular potatoes. The recipe worked out well, so the cookbook is useful even if you can't find exactly those potatoes.

But after hearing about the Dutch Yellows, I wanted to try them, just because I was curious.

Wouldn't you know it - recently the folks at Melissa's sent me a little care package that included some Dutch Yellow Potatoes, among other things. So I started browsing through the cookbook again, and found a recipe for Picadillo that sounded good. It's a Mexican dish that's typically used to fill burritos or tacos or empanadas. Of you could serve it as is, if you like.

It's sort of like the mutant child of chili and Sloppy Joes. It's definitely comfort food.

Right about the time I decided I wanted to make picadillo, I realized that I didn't have the exact ingredients the recipe called for, so I made my own version.

Did I mention that care package from Melissa's? Well, along with edibles, they sent me another copy of the book. So, since I'm so nice, I'm giving it away to one of my lucky readers.

Picadillo Tacos

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 4-ounce can diced Hatch chiles (hot or mild, your choice)
1 clove garlic, crushed or diced
1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 pound Dutch Yellow Potatoes, diced
2 teaspoons adobo seasoning
Salt, to taste

For serving:
Tortillas
Sliced pickled jalapenos, for garnish
Guacamole, for garnish

Heat a saucepan or skillet on medium heat. Add the beef. Cook, stirring once in a while - and breaking it up as you do so - until it's mostly cooked through. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, and adobo seasoning. If your adobo is salt-free, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt now.

Cover the pan and cook until the potatoes are cooked thorough - about 20 minutes. The mixture shouldn't be very saucy since this will be a taco filling, so if there's still a lot of juice from the tomatoes, continue cooking with the lid off until most of the moisture is gone. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Serve on warm tortillas. Garnish as desired. I served it with pickled sliced jalapenos and guacamole.

Melissa's sent me a copy of the Melissa's DYPs cookbook for my use; since I already had a copy, I'm giving one away and will ship to the winner. They also sent me a selection of produce.

Yum