Recipe: Soft Tacos With Roasted Meat

Shredded meats, slow-cooked or roasted, warmed in their juices make perfect fillings for soft tacos, for a satisfying and quick meal, snack, or breakfast. I usually eat these at the stove, one by one as they come out of the pan. If I have a guest, I'll fire up two skillets so that two tacos will be ready at the same time. This is less a recipe than a rough method, distilled from several trips to Mexico, that can be made with whatever you have on hand.

Corn Tortillas

Leftover slow-cooked or roasted meat, such as pot roast, roast pork, or chicken, shredded and with their juices (figure about a quarter to a third of a cup meat per tortilla). Shredded meats can also be warmed with some prepared mole sauce, mixed with a little water, or broth.

    • sour cream
    • avocado slices
    • cilantro sprigs, rinsed, and dried
    • chopped red onion or sliced chives
    • lime slices

In a small saucepan, heat the shredded meat in some of their juices, covered, over moderate heat until warmed through.

Heat one or two cast iron skillets or a griddle over moderate heat. Throw in a corn tortilla or two, flip it when it begins to get spotty, then put it on a plate. Spoon some warmed meat down the center, topped with sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and onions. Squeeze some lime over all, roll up the taco, and eat.