Monson Tacos - Soft Tortilla Shells with Ground Beef and Potato!

Taco's at the Monson's was a family favourite growing up for as long as I can remember!  To help ease the food budget (back when you could obtain incredible value with the remarkable "triple coupon" days), my Mom would grate a potato and mix it into the ground beef.  It really helped the meat to go further with limited means.  It also added a great deal of flavour and kept the ground beef moist... yummy!

I have passed this recipe onto my own family, and it is loved by all!  Although two of our kids have gone through phases where they don't care for taco's, it is one of our core family meals that sees a constant rotation in our menu selection each month.  My wife thought the idea of grating a potato was really strange, until she tried it!  To this day, we always prepare our taco meat with a potato.

It may seem unnecessary to capture such a simple recipe, but it's nice to have it written down for all posterity so that our children and grandchildren know the proper way to make it.

The way my family prepared taco's differs from the mainstream, but it makes it uniquely delicious!  And it is very nutritious, as you can throw in a heap of vegetables on top of the meat!  Here are a few differences that you may not be used to:

1. As the ground beef is starting to brown, grate in a small potato!
2. We use ketchup instead of salsa!  I don't remember ever having salsa until I was 16 or so.
3. We use soft-shell tortilla shells to "roll up" the taco.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of Ground Beef
• 1 small russet potato (or half of a large one)
• 1/2 of an Onion, chopped fine
• 1 Green Pepper, chopped (larger chunks)
• Green or Red Lettuce, shredded
• 1 tomato, diced
• Grated Cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or taco blend... your choice!)
• 1 package of Tortilla Shells (white or wheat)
• Generally we use either "Mission" or "Lynn Wilson"
• Generous helping of love!  (my youngest daughter reminded me of this important ingredient!)

Directions:

1. Lightly brown 1 pound of ground beef on the stove using medium heat
2. Drain excess grease.
3. Add grated potato (medium-sized grater) to the hamburger
4. Sprinkle "season-all" spice to taste
5. Cover and let cook until potatoes and meat are cooked through.
6. Shred lettuce, dice tomatoes, and chop up the peppers and onions in advance.
7. Serve hot with recommended toppings/ingredients, or choose the ones your family likes best!

Hints & Tips:

• I will sometimes add a couple Tablespoons of water as the meat mixture is cooking to keep the meat and potatoes moist.  I hate dry, crispy hamburger on my tacos!
• If the meat mixture becomes too moist (i.e. potatoes are gooey), simply uncover and continue to cook on medium.
• Let your children to the chopping of the veggies and tomatoes!  Fun for them, and saves time!
• Warm the tortilla shells.  Quick and easy to do in the microwave.  I used to place them on a plate, with each tortilla shell separated by a paper towel.  
• Recently I learned that they don't stick to each other much, so I just put the whole package in the microwave. (everyone likes 'em warm)