Joy the Baker

Malo’s Beef and Pickle Tacos

by 35 Comments

Malo's Beef and Pickle Tacos

There’s a place in Los Angeles where you can drink feisty margaritas made by half-rude actor/bartenders, munch on half-bad chips and salsa, and watch awkward Tinder dates buzz around you.  It’s happy hour, half-dark at your table, and there is tequila, so… most anything is tolerable.  

The bright spot, the salvation from the meh bartenders and awkward dates around you, the comfort supreme:  Beef and Pickle Tacos!    Crunchy, salty, and cheesy.  Simple flavors and textures combine to make everything right in the world.  Well.. not everything, but most things.  The wonders a pickle can provide.  

See:  Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwich

Malo's Beef and Pickle Tacos

Here’s what we’ll need for taco dinner, at home, where it’s cozy.  

Ground beef:  lean is cool.  

A big ol’ boiled Russet Potato:  help extend the meat with cheap potato starch.  

Sharp cheddar cheese: finely shredded  

Kosher dill pickles:  sliced and snacked on.  

Spices:  cumin, garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper, and smokey paprika.  It’s like making your own taco seasoning.  Extra delicious.  

Tequila:  a sip for us and for good measure.

While you’re at it… maybe make a full jar of taco seasoning for future taco adventures?  Yes:  Taco Seasoning + Charred Corn Tacos.  

Malo's Beef and Pickle Tacos

Ground beef is browned until cooked through.  Spices are added and the mixture becomes fragrant and flavorful.  Good spice.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Don’t be shy, we’re adding a potato to the mix that will such up lots of flavor, too.  

Malo's Beef and Pickle Tacos

A boiled potato (skin on and coarsely chopped) is added to the seasoned beef mixture.  Stirring the potato into the taco meat will break the potato down perfectly.  No need to formally dice it.  

Malo's Beef and Pickle Tacos

The meat mixture is browned and just slightly crisp and now it’s time to fry the corn tortillas! I like to pan-fry my tortillas in a bit of oil.  Feel free to char them over an open flame if your prefer a more fresh, less fried taco.  

ps.  These tacos are really good with a little fry action.  

Malo's Beef and Pickle Tacos

Crisp tortillas and it’s time to assemble. 

Ready the pickle slices.  Grate some extra cheese.  More is more when it comes to these tacos.  

Malo's Beef and Pickle Tacos

These tacos are crispy and spicy, savory and salty.  The pickles add just the right amount of salty crunch.  Like pickles on a cheeseburger, in a taco, with hot sauce.  

I consider this comfort food and I’d like some privacy while I eat waaaay too much.  

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Malo’s Beef and Pickle Tacos

  • Author: Joy the Baker

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1lb ground beef
  • 3–4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large boiled russet potatoes, peel left on, sliced
  • 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 heaping teaspoon dry oregano
  • 2 tablespoons paprika (I used smoky paprika)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Corn tortillas
  • Canola oil for frying tortillas
  • Kosher dill pickle slices
  • Finely grated cheddar cheese
  • Hot sauce

Instructions

  1. In a medium saute pan over medium heat, sauté ground beef in olive oil until browned through. Use a spoon or spatula to break the ground beef up as it cooks.
  2. Add all the dry spices and cook for 3 minutes more making sure that the ground beef is cooked though completely.
  3. Add the sliced potatoes and toss to combine. Remove from heat and place in a bowl. Clean the saute pan.
  4. Add a few tablespoons of canola oil to the saute pan and place over medium heat until oil heats through. Fry tortillas until each side is crisp and lightly golden brown. Drain tortillas on a paper towel.
  5. To serve, spoon beef mixture into fried tortillas. Add a few slices of kosher pickles and grated cheese. Add hot sauce. Fold and enjoy!

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Comments

  3. Nicole

    For some reason, my abuelita liked to put chopped pickles on her tacos, so that’s how we do it. We also add parmesan cheese because it’s the closest thing to cotija, which wasn’t always available when my abuelita first came here. Now I need a taco.

    Reply

  10. Nicole

    So I’ve had these tacos at Malo and they’re good, but I definitely preferred their other street style offerings. So when I saw this on your blog I thought, looks good, but I dunno–nothing to run home and make. Then I ran home from work today, looked at my fridge, and realized the trifecta of cheese, leftover taco meat and pickles were there–so I thought, what the hell. Don’t know if it’s because I didn’t pay for a plate, if it’s because it took 5 minutes to assemble, if it’s because I was actually kind of craving a cheeseburger and this was the next logical thing, but this was PURE. JOY. (Pun so intended.) My new quick dinner staple for sure…thanks for jogging my memory.

    Reply

  13. shelly

    would it be sacrilege to add tofu instead of a potato to make the meat go farther? have to watch the carbs for unfun diabetes reasons

    Reply

  16. Renee Walker Smith

    I made these tonight for my family (a husband and 4 kids 7 -15) and we all agree, they’re addictive!! Thanks for the recipe, we’ll be adding the leftovers to scrambled eggs in the morning :) I did make 2 alterations, I used 1/2 a lb of g.beef and added black beans to make up the difference and I also added a tsp of chili powder to the seasoning. I never would have guessed pickles would be so good in tacos. Mind blown!

    Reply

  21. Pam

    This looks great! I love tacos.Yum. I use a potato masher to break up the meat as it’s being sauted. Makes quick work of the potato too. Now if only I could find corn tortillias in Canada.

    Reply

  26. Meredith

    I’m pregnant and so, so with you on this! Is it a hamburger? Is it a taco? It doesnt matter! This will be happening pronto at our house!!!

    Reply

  28. Yoli

    Please tell me you are referring to the one in Silver Lake because, YES! I lived just down the road and worked even closer to said establishment. These tacos with their spicy crema hot sauce were the definition of divinity. I loved how they were fried up almost like an empanada. Made it so much easier for the drunk and clumsy hipster in all of us to devour.

    Their guacamole flight was also pretty amazing.

    I miss LA.

    Reply

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