Taco Bites

I have been asked to post this recipe since the early days of Reviews, Chews & How-tos. See the thing is, I’m no Betty Crocker. I’m basically a 5 trick pony. These are my go-to’s when it comes to company, or parties.

At these get-togethers, I very much enjoy the “Oohs” and “Ahhs” that people give after tasting a creation of mine. I love feeling like they assume I’m great in the kitchen. So, by giving up the recipes, I feel as though they can just make them themselves, and I’m out of tricks. Somehow, my arm was twisted just enough that they are slowly ending up on this site. This is how much I love our readers!

So on to this recipe—I have been helping to make these Taco Bites since I was very young. My dad was in the Washington Redskin’s Marching Band, and we attended many football parties. Each and every time, our contributions were Taco Bites and home made salsa. They were always the first thing to empty on the food table.

They are super simple to make, however they are quite time consuming. Also, I can’t imagine making this dish alone. You need a partner, or five. Growing up, I’d sit at the table rolling these with my parents and sisters. Now it's always me and my husband, and every now and then our 5 year old pitches in.


The smallest batch I’ve made was for 4 adults and two children, and they were still surprisingly gone by the end of the night. I’m going to share for that, and just double as needed. This made 168 taco bites. I think it does depend on the size of the wonton package as to how many you will get.

Taco Bites

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds ground beef
1 lb Mexican pork chorizo
1 packet taco seasoning
1 egg
2 packs eggroll/wonton wrappers (I buy the large squares)


You will also need a deep fryer filled with oil.



Brown the 2 pounds of ground beef and add the taco seasoning.  Drain if needed. Take the meat out of the pan and set aside.

Mexican chorizo usually comes in links which are slit open and cooked loose - it tends to be pretty runny and highly seasoned, rather than harder varieties of chorizo that are sliced.  Brown the chorizo thoroughly, and do not drain. Mix it with the ground beef you already cooked.

If you buy the large eggroll wrappers, you then need to quarter cut them. They should be about 2 by 2 inch squares.  If you use wonton wrappers don't cut them - each of your Taco Bites will be larger, but you won't wind up with as many.

Whisk your egg in a small dish - this is going to be your glue.

Have all your fixings laid out within easy reach in the table to begin assembly.


If you are working a 2 person operation, now is a good time to preheat the deep fryer.


ASSEMBLY

Lay out on wrapper square on your plate.

Spoon about a tablespoon (do not bother with measuring) of meat filling into the center.

Fold like an envelope- bottom, corner and two sides.

Using the back of a spoon, a brush, or even your finger to wet the last corner with the egg wash.

Tightly roll toward remaining corner.

Place prepared taco bites, not touching, onto a plate or pan. Yes, some will look ugly, be looser, maybe even split. It's fine. They will still be just an mouthwatering soon enough...

Once you have filled one surface, it’s a good time for someone to start frying. As they finish frying what they have, you will likely have finished a new tray. If flying solo, its fine for this all to occur at the end.

I can manage about 10 in my fryer at a time. They are done when they begin to float and have a nice golden texture to them (~3-5m).

I would say the hardest part about making this dish is trying to not eat all the meat mixture as you are rolling them, and trying not to scald your mouth and hands because you want to eat them straight out of the fryer.

I suggest, unless you are with a group chatting the whole time, that you do this at table, in front of the TV watching mindless reality shows. It is a seriously tedious task to roll these things for what feels like hours. The end result is so worth it!

I think nowadays, my dad has changed up his version a bit, adding onions to the meat while browning, or cheese when rolling. I’ve tried both, but nothing beats this recipe to me.

Best served with home made salsa and guacamole!!