Crispy Cheese Tacos Recipe

Joshua Bousel
Crispy Cheese Tacos Recipe
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  • Yield:Makes 8 Cheese-Crisp Tortillas
  • Active time:15 minutes
  • Total time:15 minutes
  • Rated: 5.0

Tacos with crispy cheese overflowing the tortilla. [Photographs: Joshua Bousel]

Grated cheese is a common taco topping, but it's also a boring one, failing to take advantage of the cheese's best assets: its melting and crisping abilities. The solution is the here with these crispy cheese tacos, in which we fuse melted, crisped cheese to a tortilla, which can then be stuffed with all sorts of fillings.

Why It Works

Cheese fused to a tortilla makes for an epic taco. Read the Whole Story
  • Using gentle heat helps ensure even cooking and avoids burning the cheese.
  • Placing the tortilla on the cheese after it has melted ensures the cheese adheres without overcooking the tortilla.
  • Letting the cheese cool in the skillet makes it easier to remove with a spatula.

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces grated parmesan, Manchego, Cheddar, or other hard or semi-hard cheese
  • 8 corn tortillas

Directions

  1. 1.

    Arrange 1/2 ounce of cheese on one side of a non-stick skillet in a 5- by 2-inch rectangle. Turn heat to medium-low. When cheese begins to melt, place 1 tortilla on top of cheese so that roughly half the cheese is covered by the tortilla.

  2. 2.

    Let cheese cook until it turns an even golden brown color. Remove pan from heat and let stand until cheese cools and firms up slightly.

  3. 3.

    Carefully slide a thin spatula under cheese and remove tortilla from pan. Fill as desired (see note above) and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining cheese and tortillas.

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