Smashed Cheeseburger Tacos with Crisp Tortillas and Shredded Cheddar

Choose ground beef with enough fat that you can adjust the greasing oil to suit it; smashed thinly across each flour tortilla, it cooks into a crisp-edged cheeseburger taco. Shredded cheddar melts over the beef while lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and burger sauce add cool, crunchy contrast.

The optional sauce starts with mayo, ketchup, mustard, and pickle relish, while the tacos themselves need ground beef, taco-size flour tortillas, shredded cheddar, seasoning, and oil. Pressing each of six beef portions all the way to the tortilla edge matters because the meat shrinks as it cooks. Shredded cheese is used because it melts faster than slices.

On a medium-high griddle or skillet, the beef side should make direct contact first and cook for about two minutes before the flip. The right finish is a crisp tortilla with melted cheese and beef cooked as desired. Excess heat is the main problem: the tortillas can burn quickly, sometimes within a minute after flipping.

Finish with lettuce, diced tomato, pickles, and sauce, then fold each taco to eat. A Blackstone lets you cook them together, though cast iron or a regular pan also works. Leftovers can be reheated the next day in an air fryer at 390° for about five minutes.