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Tater Tot Tostadas with Carne Asada

Alexa Santos takes a basic freezer staple, tater tots, and creates elevated tostadas topped with carne asada.

Ingredients

  • 1 beef Flank Steak (about 1 pound) 
  • 1 package (24 ounces) frozen tater tots
  • 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
  • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped 
  • 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
  • Crumbled cotija cheese, sliced avocado and pickled red onion, for garnish

Marinade: 

  • 2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced, divided
  • 1 serrano pepper, finely diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking
  • 1 orange, juiced
  • 4 limes, divided
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped, divided
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, plus more for cooking
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for cooking
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Cooking

  1. Make the marinade: In a large bowl, combine 1/2 the jalapeño, the serrano, garlic, olive oil, orange juice, 1/2 the lime juice, half the cilantro, the apple cider vinegar, salt, chili powder, black pepper, cumin, and garlic powder. Stir to mix. Place the steak in a large resealable bag with the marinade and make sure the steak is fully covered. Place into the fridge to marinate for 2 hours.
  2. Once the steak has marinated, heat a grill or large cast iron skillet. Remove the steak from the marinade; discard marinade. Pat the steak completely dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Sear on both sides until beef reaches medium rare (145°F) doneness. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes.
  3. Slice the steak against the grain into thin slices.
  4. Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place frozen tater tots onto the parchment. Bake for 10 minutes, until just warmed up. Remove from oven and group 6 to 8 tots together (into 6 mounds). Use a cup to push the tater tots down into a (circular) tostada shape. Place back into the oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.
  5. Heat the refried beans until warm in a pot on the stove.
  6. Make the pico de gallo: in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, other half of the lime juice, other half of the cilantro, and other half of the jalapeño. Stir to mix. Season with Kosher salt and black pepper to taste. 
  7. Assemble tostadas: lay down a tater tot tostada and top with a layer of refried beans spread out. Top that with a few carne asada slices, then a sprinkle of cotija cheese, the pico de gallo, avocado slices, pickled red onions, a squeeze of lime, and extra garnish of cilantro. Repeat with all tostadas. Serve and enjoy immediately!

Nutrition

Nutrition information 6 servings: 400 Calories; 21.5 g Total Fat (4.8 g Saturated Fat; 0.1 g Trans Fat; 2.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat; 4.5 g Monounsaturated Fat); 50.0 mg Cholesterol; 933.0 mg Sodium; 33.0 g Total Carbohydrate; 1.6 g Dietary Fiber; 4.0 g Total Sugars; 0.0 g Added Sugars; 23.0 g Protein; 66.0 mg Calcium; 2.9 mg Iron; 802.0 mg Potassium; 0.0 mcg Vitamin D; 0.2 mg Riboflavin; 9.1 mg Niacin; 0.7 mg Vitamin B6; 1.0 mcg Vitamin B12; 259.0 mg Phosphorus; 3.8 mg Zinc; 23.0 mcg Selenium; 102.4 mg Choline

Alexa Santos