Even the most hardcore meat eaters won't be able to tell that these Potato and Chorizo Tacos are entirely plant based! Get the recipe below.
Mexican street food
One of the highlights of #Veganuary 2019 was definitely my visit to The Spread Eagle, Hackney, London. The Spread Eagle is London's first 100% vegan pub. and the food is made by none other than Club Mexicana who serve up vegan, Mexican-inspired street food. I LOVE Mexican food and am always happy to wash it down with a margarita or two so it was the perfect choice for my birthday meal.
I took a group of friends including one hardcore meat eater and was hopeful that they'd come away happy. To my surprise, there was one dish that absolutely blew them away - Chorizo and Potato Tacos. They were served with all my favourite fixings including pico de gallo and chipotle mayo! After just one mouthful I knew I was going to have to try and recreate these at home.
I was tempted to try and copy these delicious tacos to the letter but there was just one key component missing which I knew I wanted to include in my recipe - guacamole. I could eat guacamole by the truckload. No Mexican street food feast would be complete without it.
Secret ingredients
The potato, tortillas, pico de gallo and guacamole are obviously vegan. But you might be wondering where on earth I got hold of vegan chorizo and chipotle mayonnaise?
There are a couple of different brands of vegan chorizo but my absolute favourite has to be Sainsbury's Chorizo Style Shroomdogs. I've served these up to quite a few meat eaters now and they've all been so impressed with how realistic they are. They really taste just like regular chorizo.
The chipotle mayo is really easy to make. You'll just need a little [amazon_textlink asin='B00AUHATFY' text='chipotle paste' template='ProductLink' store='upperinthubur-21' marketplace='UK' link_id='3c64b196-925b-4bde-b3f3-c8a095d8f33b'] and some vegan mayonnaise. You might remember from this post that my favourite brand is [amazon_textlink asin='B06XJ9XRMT' text='Mr Organic's vegan mayonnaise' template='ProductLink' store='upperinthubur-21' marketplace='UK' link_id='34cdf86a-901b-4dd0-bb54-96b86b867b02'] but any brand will do. Give them a good mix together and you have a delicious, plant based chipotle mayo, perfect for drizzling over your Potato and Chorizo Tacos.
Now I do have a confession...a couple of people have asked me where I bought the mini tortillas for the soft taco shells. They are in fact large tortillas that I cut smaller using a cookie cutter! If you worried about all the waste this creates, don't be! You can use the off cuts to make nachos!
The recipe
Don't be put off by all of the elements in this recipe. As long as you're methodical and do your prep in advance these tacos are a breeze!
Vegan Potato and Chorizo Tacos
Ingredients
For the pico de gallo
- 250 grams cherry tomatoes
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 small white onion
- 2 limes juice only
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 handful fresh coriander
For the guacamole
- 2 avocados
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch cracked black pepper
- 2 limes juice only
For the chipotle mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon chipotle paste add more to taste
- 6 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
For the taco filling
- 2 large potatoes peeled
- 0.5 white onion
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 0.5 teaspoon coriander ground
- 0.25 teaspoon cumin ground
- 6 vegan chorizo sausages
- 1 yellow pepper
For the taco shells
- 4 large flour tortillas
Instructions
To make the pico de gallo
- Finely dice the cherry tomatoes and transfer to a bowl along with all of their juice.
- Sprinkle over the salt and stir well, this will draw out the juices even more.
- Finely dice the onion and add to the bowl along with the lime juice.
- Finally, thinly slice the jalapeno and coriander before adding to the bowl.
- Stir well and cover until ready to serve.
For the guacamole
- Scoop out the flesh of the avocados into a bowl.
- Add the lime juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.
- Mash well until smooth and creamy.
- Cover with cling film (pressing the cling film up against the surface of the guacamole) and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
For the chipotle mayo
- Stir together the chipotle pasta and mayonnaise until well combined.
- Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
For the taco filling
- Cut the potato into 1cm cubes.
- Heat the oil in a large sauce pan and add the cubes of potato.
- Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until they are browned and begun to soften.
- Dice the onion and add to the pan along with the potatoes, salt and spices.
- Cook the onions and potatoes for another 5-10 minutes until the onions have also browned and begun to soften.
- Cut the chorizo sausages into 1cm pieces and add to the pan.
- Next dice the yellow pepper and add to the pan.
- Cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the vegetables have all softened.
For the taco shells
- Using a cookie cutter, cut 5 smaller circles out of each large tortilla.
- Heat a griddle pan on high and heat each tortilla for 1-2 minutes until they have warmed through and have griddle marks (repeat on the other side).
To assemble
- Place a large spoonful off the taco mix into each taco shell with a teaspoon of the pico de gallo, a teaspoon of guacamole and a drizzle of chipotle mayo.
Jill says
These tacos look tasty and filling. I definitely wouldn't miss the meat.
Emma Walton says
Well balanced plant based meals definitely don't miss the meat!
Jennifer | SavorwithJennifer says
Taco Tuesday is a way of life in our house and I love everything about these!
David says
We regularly observe Taco Tuesday so am always looking for new ideas! Nice idea around the small tortillas and making chips with the extra.
Emma Walton says
I definitely need to get on board with taco Tuesday!
Veena Azmanov says
Such a lovely platter when friends are around. Tasty and yummy. This looks like a mini meal too.
Jacqueline Debono says
How cool a vegan pub! I was also wondering about the idea of vegan tacos with chorizo! Didn't realize there are vegan chorizos on the market. Have to look out for those!