Ingredients
SPECIAL BURGER SAUCE
- 1 cup (250 g) whole-egg mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp finely chopped gherkins (dill pickles)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt, to taste
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
TACOS
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced (ground) beef (lean or regular, see note 1)
- 8 small soft flour tortillas
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
- Olive oil spray
- 8 slices American (burger) cheese
- 2 cups (60 g) shredded lettuce (iceberg, cos/romaine or gem lettuce)
- ½ cup (75 g) sliced gherkins (dill pickles)
- ½ onion, finely diced
Instructions
Special burger sauce
- To make the sauce, add all the ingredients to a small bowl, mix well to combine and set aside.
Tacos
- To make the tacos, divide the minced (ground) beef into 8 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time, spread the beef over 1 tortilla, leaving just a 5 mm (1/4 inch) border around the edge. The beef will shrink as it cooks, so try and get the beef as close to the edge as possible. Repeat with the remaining beef and tortillas.
- Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat.
- Sprinkle each beef-topped tortilla with salt and pepper right before cooking (do not add the salt and pepper until you are ready to cook, as it can make the beef tough).
- Spray the frying pan lightly with olive oil, then carefully place a tortilla in the frying pan, meat-side down. Cook for 2–3 minutes, then flip and cook for a further 15–20 seconds. If there is still residual liquid around the beef, flip it again and cook it for a further 30–60 seconds. Once the beef is cooked to your liking, flip the tortilla beef-side up and place a slice of cheese on top. Remove the tortilla from the heat – the heat from the beef will melt the cheese. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. I normally cook two tortillas at a time. Keep them warm in a 120°C (250°F) (100°C/200°F fan-forced) oven if needed, or top them and serve immediately.
- Top each taco with lettuce, pickles, onion and the special burger sauce.
Notes
Note 1 – Regular minced (ground) beef from the supermarket (20% fat) is great for juicy Big Mac Tacos but can be difficult to work with, as it releases a lot of liquid and oil, causing the tacos to go soggy and burn too quickly on the outside. Lean minced beef releases less oil and is my preference, creating juicy, crisp results.
MAKE AHEAD
Special burger sauce – Can be made ahead of time. Combine the ingredients and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
LEFTOVERS
Big Mac Tacos are best made and eaten immediately. Not suitable to freeze.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Pan, skillet, frying pan
- Cuisine: American