You've Had Tacos Before. But Not Like This.

I know something about tacos, as I happen to live in Los Angeles. And we happen to have a lot of places to get a taco around here.

Tacos are everywhere these days, from those with traditional fillings to who-knows-what they put in that one...

Like a lot of families, we do Taco Tuesday, and Taco Wednesday, and Taco Thursday, and you get the idea. When I saw this recipe in the LA Times in May of 2019, the picture alone inspired me to try it. I mean, who doesn't like melted cheese all over everything??? Check it out:

So two things to consider here: first, you need to make the Salsa Verde, stay away from the stuff in jars (the salsa is really easy to make), and second, you'll be eating last. That's because as these things come off the griddle, they're gonna get eaten, because they have to be eaten when they're still hot! That means you don't get to eat till everyone is full...

The first time I tried this, I used a large non-stick pan ( non-stick cookware is essential for this recipe), and it was wholly inadequate. I could only make two at a time, and each time it takes about 3-4 minutes to make them. Problem was it takes about 15 seconds to eat one, putting me at a huge disadvantage immediately.

After that, I got the biggest griddle I could find, laid it on the barbecue grill, and cooked 8 at a time! Ca-ching! Since I laid out all the toppings and wrote out instructions on how to build the taco, I fed a group of 20 in about 15 minutes. Most people can eat 2-3 of these, my kids ate like 6 each.

So the process is pretty simple actually; you lay the cheese on the hot griddle and after about 3-4 minutes you turn it over so both sides of the now-melted cheese browns evenly (check out the image below and you can see the browned-cheese poking out from beneath the meat and salsa).

The original recipe from the LA Times called for beans instead of meat (WTF), which is not really my thing. I'm sure the tacos with beans were good, but I like MEAT. I've used beef, chicken and fish at separate times in the tacos and all of them worked out great.

Trust me, if you're feeding a few or a big group, these will be a hit. Everyone will be thinking "hmmm, tacos for dinner. Yawn.", and then you'll pull a couple of these off the grill and they'll be thinking "Holy shit! Where have these been all my life!"

Oaxacan String Cheese Tacos

(makes 8 tacos)

For the Salsa Verde:

(makes about 3 cups)

• 1 1/2 lb tomatillos, outer skin removed

• 1/2 cup chopped white onion

• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves

• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

• 2 Jalapeño peppers or 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped

• Salt to taste

Place tomatillos in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove tomatillos with a slotted spoon, let cool for a few minutes.

Place the cooked tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers in a blender or food processor and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.

You can refrigerate the finished salsa for about 2 weeks if you have leftovers.

For the tacos:

• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled

• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus sprigs for serving

• 2 limes

• Kosher salt

• 1/2 lb marinated beef flap meat (or marinated chicken, fish or just black beans)

• 1 package Oaxacan cheese (10 ounces), cut into 1" pieces

• 8 corn tortillas

Grill or pan-sear the steak, when it's done chop into 1/2" cubes and set aside. Set up all the toppings in advance (avocado, salsa, limes, cilantro).

To make a taco, heat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Put 2 cheese pieces next to each other and let sit until the bottom is dark golden brown and the top almost fully melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Place a tortilla over the cheese and press down to stick. Carefully flip the cheesy tortilla, add a couple spoonfuls of your choice of protein and let sit until the center of the cheese just melts, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a plate and top with guacamole, salsa verde and some cilantro sprigs and serve immediately. If you like, you can also add jalapeno slices, radish slices and/or chopped onion).