Green chili tacos

It’s that time of year again. What time of year, you may ask. Between July and October of each year in New Mexico it is chile harvesting time and the stores are full of freshly grown green chile. All green chile is great, but it is the wide opinion that Hatch green chile is the best. Some stores even carry it in flavors of mild, medium, hot, extra hot, and extra extra hot. Depending on how hot you can stand your Hatch green chile, it can be substituted for the ingredient of “green chile” in any recipe.

I have been told that I make the best tacos ever and here is that recipe:

2 lb. ground beef

2 dozen taco shells (either already prepared or you can make your own by frying corn tortillas and folding them over)

1 can chunk tomatoes (14 oz.)

1 can Hatch green chiles, chopped (or ½ cup fresh roasted, chopped Hatch green chiles (4 oz.)

1 medium potato, baked

1 medium onion, chopped

Instructions:

• Grated medium cheddar cheese to taste
• Lettuce shredded to taste
• Fry ground beef and peel the potato. Mash the potato well and stir it into the ground beef so it is evenly distributed.
• Combine the tomatoes and chiles.
• Fill the taco shells about ¼ full with the meat-potato mixture and then fill them another ¼ with tomato-chile mixture. Then sprinkle inside with cheese to taste.
• Heat in either a 350 degree oven or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Just until the cheese is melted.
• Serve with dishes of tomato-chile mixture, cheese, onion and lettuce and let each person continue fixing their own tacos with onions and lettuce after heating.
• Give each person four tacos to start with and I guarantee you will not have any left. This recipe serves 4 to 6 persons.