Air Fryer Taquitos with Salsa Rojo

[Troutman]

Okay so it ain't barbecue. But I remember when sous vide became popular and the haters emerged to take up the purest banner. Well when it's cold or rainy or you just don't want to fire up the pit, air fryer recipes are a thing. In fact given their ease and convenience, I find myself using it more and more for a variety of recipes. I also find I don't have to turn on my oven, preheat for 20 minutes then cook something that might only take a half hour or so then turn it off. Waste of energy plus the air fryer cooks it in half the time.

Okay rant over, haters comment below. This recipe comes via one of my favorite You Tubers, Cooking Con Claudia. I followed her recipe for the filling but made my own adjustments. Fairly easy and a good recipe for those mid-week meals. You can make the taquitos in advance and cook them quickly for a no muss or fuss meal.

So lets make some delicioso taquitos....


Air Fryer Taquitos with Salsa Rojo

Course. Lunch or Dinner.
Cuisine. Mexican
Makes. 10-12 taquitos
Takes. 60 minutes prep, 10 minutes air frying

Ingredients - Filling

1 white onion diced
1 jalapeño diced
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 pound 80/20 ground chuck
1 large potato diced

2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Mexican (or regular) oregano
1 tsp Ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
10-12 ounces Troutman's Salsa Rojo* (feel free to substitute any salsa rojo)

Ingredients - Taquito Assembly

1/2 cup oil like avacado
1 tsp Ancho chili powder
Mexican cheese blend
10-12 flour or corn tortillas
Shredded lettuce for serving
Sour cream for topping

*Ingredients - Salsa Rojo (if you choose to make it from scratch)

5 medium sized tomatoes (optional: 2-14 ounce cans of Muir Glen Fire Roasted chopped tomatoes)
1-10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 white onion cut into quarters
4-5 cloves garlic whole
2 jalapeno or 2 serrano peppers (dependent on your heat tolerance)
1 poblano pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice from 1 lime
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Vegetable oil for brushing




Directions - Meat Filling Prep

1. Sauté the onion, jalapeno in a little oil, season with salt and pepper. After sweating down, add the ground beef and continue cooking, season this layer as well
2. After about 5 minutes add the minced garlic then the salsa rojo.
3. Next add the potatoes and continue to cook
4. Add the chili powder, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and cumin to the pan.
5. Continue to cook until all is combined and the potatoes are softened (about 15 minutes). Allow to cool a bit or refrigerate for later assembly.

Directions - Troutman's Salsa Rojo

1. If using fresh tomatoes, brush with oil and roast them over an open flame or in the broiler to develop some char on the outside. Do the same with the onions and garlic cloves.
2. Take the peppers and roast them the same way only get them well charred all over. Once charred remove the skin under running water, cut them in half and remove the seeds and veins (unless you want the heat).
3. Place all of the grilled veggies, the chopped cilantro, and the lime juice into a blender and pulse 2-3 times. Leave the salsa chunky avoiding over blending into a liquid state.
4. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Once blended, pour your salsa into a serving bowl. Mix well with a spoon. It’s always a good idea to refrigerate your salsa an hour or two before serving to allow the mixture to meld its flavors.

* Note: This makes a large batch of salsa. Lasts about a week in your refrigerator, also freezes well.

Directions - Taquito Assembly

1. Setup an assembly area. Pour the oil into a vessel for dipping the tortillas. Infuse the oil with the chili powder and mix well.
2. Dip one side of a tortilla in the infused oil and place on a plate.
3. Next add some Mexican cheese and about 2 tablespoons of the meat filling to the tortilla.
4. Roll and set aside, continue with the remaining tortillas.
5. Add the taquitos to the air fryer and cook at 400*F for about 5 minutes.
6. Flip and continue to cook for about 5 minutes more until golden brown and crispy.

Serve with some shredded lettuce, the salsa rojo and some sour cream. Enjoy !!!

[Oak Smoke]

No hater here, I’ll do this soon. The potato in the mix reminded me of the burritos I saw the rough necks with in the oil field. Their burritos were prepared by “real” Mexican cooks and they all had some potato in them.

[Sid P]

My favorite Mexican restaurant has been putting potatoes in their burritos since the first time I went there in the 90’s. It’s a nice addition.

[58limited]

Looks really good and easy, might have to make these soon.

[Michael_in_TX]

I am all about that! Also, if you like Cooking Con Claudia, check out Villa Cocina (https://www.youtube.com/@VillaCocina), especially her salsas. I enjoy them both very much. (And great to see you posting again!)

[texastweeter]

Did your cardiologist get mad at you?