Smash Burger Tacos

These smash burger tacos that went viral on TikTok are the fun food mash-up you didn’t know you were missing. The mark of a great smash burger is a thin patty with a beautiful brown crust. An easy way to achieve this here is to spread the ground beef on one side of each tortilla and press it with a spatula to ensure good contact while cooking on a hot griddle or skillet. Inspired by the Big Mac, each taco gets topped with a homemade “special sauce,” lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and sesame seeds. To make this vegetarian, use a ground plantbased meat, such as Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods, instead of beef.

Makes 3 to 6 servings (6 tacos)

FOR THE SPECIAL SAUCE:

1⁄2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish 1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon Cajun pepper hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot

1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder Fine salt

Freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE TACOS:

1 pound ground beef, preferably 80 percent lean

Six (6-inch) flour tortillas Fine salt

Freshly ground black pepper 6 slices American or cheddar cheese

Sliced dill pickles, shredded lettuce, diced onions and sesame seeds, for serving

Make the special sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, hot sauce and garlic powder until combined. Taste, and season with salt and pepper, as desired.

Make the tacos: Heat a griddle or large cast-iron, carbonsteel or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Meanwhile, divide the meat into six equal portions, about 21⁄2 ounces each, and press each portion onto one side of a tortilla to cover the entire surface. (The patty will shrink away from the edge of the tortilla as it cooks.) Lightly season each patty with salt and pepper.

In batches, depending on the size of your griddle or skillet, add the tortillas to the hot skillet meat side down and cook, pressing each regularly with a spatula, until a nice brown crust forms, about 3 minutes. Flip the tortillas over, top with a slice of cheese and cook until the tortillas are crisp on the bottom and the cheese has melted, about 1 minute more. Transfer the tortillas to a platter or individual plates and repeat with the remaining tortillas. Top each with pickles, lettuce, onions, the sauce and sesame seeds; serve hot.

Storage note: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

Per serving (1 taco and 2 heaping tablespoons sauce, based on 6 servings): 489 calories, 20 g carbohydrates, 70 mg cholesterol, 36 g fat, 1 g fiber, 19 g protein, 11 g saturated fat, 814 mg sodium, 4 g sugar

Adapted from Brad Prose of the blog Chiles and Smoke.