Taco Tuesday's-Quick Steak Tacos with Toasted Pepitas

Feeds 2

To start off the weekly Taco Tuesday post, I am starting with a simple, but flavorful steak taco. With the addition of a few non-standard ingredients, you can bring this crowd pleasing taco to the next level. These additions are about texture, just as much as they are about taste. The pico de gallo is amped up with the addition of jicama. Jicama is a vegetable often used in Mexican cooking which has a texture right in between and potato and pear. Jicama has also been likened to an apple, so whatever texture it has for you, it is a great vegetable and a good addition to your salsa arsenal. To top your tacos, I call for toasted pepitas. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds that have been taken out of their respective shells. You can buy these in the bulk section of most grocery stores, or if you have a spare hour or two, buy some pumpkins and get working. To toast the seeds, simply put them in a dry skillet on high heat for a minute or two, flipping occasionally until nicely browned.

Ingredients:

1 pound steak small cubed ( I used chuck tenderloins, but any will do)

1 large sweet potato

1 large onion

6-7 cloves garlic

1/2 jicama

1 jalapeno

bunch cilantro

corn tortillas

2 limes (more if you have tequilal)

bunch radish

1 cup Coritijo cheese ( this is a hard mexican cheese, likened to feta)

For the Steak Marinade:

1/2 cup tomato juice

1/2 zest of a lime

1tbsp salt

1tbsp cayenne

1tbsp oregano

2 tbsp cumin

4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup cilantro
*I whipped together these tacos in an hour or so but if you can let your marinade sit overnight you will have a better flavor.

Instructions:

Chop your steak into bite sized pieces and mix steak with marinade in a container, put in fridge to marinate.

When you meat has marinated to your liking peel and cut your sweet potato into 1/4'' half moons. Toss with oil s+p and put on a sheet tray into a 350 oven for about 20 minutes or until tender.

Chop your onion, tomato, garlic,  jicama, jalapeno and jicama, place in bowl. Add to your vegetable mixture the juice of one lime. Add s+p to taste. Put aside. Cut your radish into circles and lime into wedges. Garnish each taco with lime and radish.

By now your potato should have about 10 minutes left, so toast your pepitas and get a pan smokin hot for your meat. 

When your pan is smoking hot add your meat in stages, about 1/3 at time. You dont want to add all your meat at once and lose the pans heat, thus preventing you from getting a good sear on the meat. Once you're on your last round of meat, start heating up the tortillas. 

My favorite way to do this is right on the open flame for a few seconds a side, but this could prove dangerous for some so you can always do them in the oven or in a pan. Take of your meat and begin constructing your tacos. For optimal crunch layer follow this order: potato, meat, pico, cheese finally topping with pepitas. Nosh.