TL/DR – Pork, Sweet Potato and Plantain Tacos. Roasted sweet potatoes and green plantains seasoned with chili powder and coriander are a great compliment to ground pork cooked in a skillet with fresh oregano. Topped with pickled onions, cotija cheese and a light vinaigrette, these are a weeknight win. –
There is something about ground pork cooked in a skillet until nice and crispy. I crave it sometimes. I borrowed my vegetarian Sweet Potato Plantain Tacos and made some tweaks to accommodate my pork guilty pleasure.
Tip: to peel a plantain, cut off just the tip of each end, then slice just through the peel all the way lengthwise. It will be a lot easier than trying to peel it like a banana. After peeling the plantain, dice it and roast it, along with diced sweet potato, coated in olive oil and seasoned chili powder, coriander, salt and pepper.
Get a skillet screaming hot and crumble the ground pork into it, browning it well on each side. Drain the majority of the pork fat, then add salt, pepper, fresh oregano and ground coriander. Hit it with a tiny bit of cider vinegar, cover and cook on low for about 3 minutes, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Build the tacos with the three main ingredients, then top with Refrigerator Quick Pickled Red Onions, cotija cheese and a quick vinaigretteof oil, cider vinegar, lime juice and agave nectar.
Pork Sweet Potato and Plantain Tacos
Easy weeknight tacos with ground pork cooked crispy in a skillet with fresh oregano, roasted sweet potatoes and plantains, cotija cheese and pickled red onions.
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato, diced, skin on
- 1 green plantain, peeled and diced
- 5 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 t ground coriander, divided
- 1/2 t chili powder
- 1 t kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 t pepper, divided
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 2 T minced fresh oregano
- 3 T apple cider vinegar, divided
- 2 T lime juice
- 1 t agave nectar or honey
- 16 corn tortillas, street taco size
- Refrigerator Quick Pickled Red Onions, see recipe below
- 1/2 c crumbled cotija cheese
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Step 2 Dice the sweet potato and plantain and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the olive oil, chili powder, 1/2 t coriander, 1/4 t kosher salt and 1/8 pepper and toss well. Make sure the pieces are spread out all over the sheet so they have a chance to get a bit crispy. Roast them for 20 minutes.
- Step 3 While the sweet potatoes and plantains roast, heat a large skillet on high and crumble in the ground pork. Brown it well on both sides, turning down the heat to medium.
- Step 4 Drain the majority of the pork fat, then add 1/2 t kosher salt, 1/2 t coriander, 1/4 t pepper and the fresh oregano and stir well.
- Step 5 Add 1 T cider vinegar to the skillet and scrape up brown bits. Decrease the heat to low, cover and allow to cook for about 3 minutes or until cooked through, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. The goal is to have very crispy pork that is not burned.
- Step 6 Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the remaining 3 T olive oil, 2 T cider vinegar, lime juice, agave nectar and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Step 7 Wrap the tortillas in foil, then place into the hot oven for about 2 minutes.
- Step 8 To assemble, use two of the tortillas per taco as a base. Start with a few pieces of pork, followed by sweet potato and plantains. Top with a few picked onions, a bit of cotija and a drizzle of the dressing. Serve immediately.
Refrigerator Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 T granulated sugar
- 1 T kosher salt
- 1 t black peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 1 t fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- 3 sprigs fresh dill, optional
- 1 medium red onion, cut in half and then sliced very thinly
Directions
- Step 1 Pour the vinegar, sugar and salt into a 2 cup Mason jar and microwave without the lid on for 25 seconds.
- Step 2 Put the lid onto the jar and shake until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
- Step 3 Place the dill, peppercorns, fennel seeds and onion into the jar.
- Step 4 If there is any room left, top the jar off with cold water.
- Step 5 Screw the lid on tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before enjoying. Use for up to 7 days.
