Tamale House’s Classic Breakfast Taco
Few things rival the breakfast taco for satisfying simplicity. Some say they're best when kept to a few ingredients: fluffy eggs, some dairy, perhaps some smoky meat or beans, and a wash of citrusy salsa. But what's “best” is subjective. Austin has laid claim to the breakfast taco. Vice says they belong to all of Texas. Texas Monthly said the beloved grab-and-go meal is the product of a marriage of the Mexican workingman's breakfast and the ingredients of a standard American morning. At this point, the humble breakfast taco is ubiquitous from Los Angeles to New York. You can even bring it home with these recipes, which all, coincidentally, hail from Austin.
In the 1980s, late Tamale House founder Robert Vasquez noticed that, while Austin was mainly populated with sit-down Mexican restaurants, Southern California was full of small roadside stands selling tacos. Suitably inspired, he launched his now-famous taco house. Here’s how to create the flavors of the Austin staple at home.
Serves: 6
Hands On Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
6 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)
8 ounces hickory-smoked bacon, diced
2 russet potatoes, diced
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 flour tortillas
8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a hand mixer (and, if desired, add pat of butter or 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream for richer eggs).
In a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. In rendered fat left in the pan, add the potatoes and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are tender and the onions are translucent.
Drain off all but about 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan, reduce the heat to low, and add the eggs. Cook slowly until fluffy and just cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat the tortillas in a cast iron skillet. Serve the egg mixture in the hot tortillas, sprinkled with cheese.