I confess, I never actually ate one of the crunchwrap supremes at Taco Bell. I took one look at a photo of it and searched for the ingredients online. Ever since my DIY M-egg-ican pizza post, I've been wanting to recreate more Taco Bell items at home.
| What you'll need | |
|
1 pound of ground beef 1 packet of taco seasoning (or 1 teaspoon cumin, paprika, pepper, salt to taste) 1 bunch of arugula, washed and chopped 1 tomato, chopped |
1 small bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos Sour cream 22oz bag of shredded cheese 4 burrito sized tortillas Cast iron press |
Start by sauteeing the ground beef in a dry pan over medium heat, it will have enough fat to fry itself. Break up the clods of meat with a wooden spoon until it is granular and has turned from pink to thoroughly brown. Pour off the beef fat into a small bowl for our beef queso.
Empty the taco seasoning onto the beef and toss off the heat. Set aside.
Make a half batch of the Cook's Science beef queso with the fat you have in a bowl. Alternatively, if you don't have sodium citrate, toss half the pack of shredded cheese in a tablespoon of cornstarch and gradually stir into a simmering mix of the beef fat and 1/2 cup of water. Whisk until smooth.
Working 1 tortilla at a time, scoop 1/4 cup of cooled ground beef into the center. Layer on queso, tomato, arugula, shredded cheese, sour cream and optional Flaming Hot Cheetos. Fold the tortilla over the mixture, it's ok if it's a little uneven. Make sure the flaps stay closed.
On medium heat, press the tortilla seam-side down so you can secure it closed. Use a cast iron press or heavy pan to weigh it down. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the tortilla is brown and crispy. Flip it over and repeat.
From here, you can wrap it in foil and hand it to someone (or yourself to eat). But since I'm a tiny bb and can never finish a burrito (because that is essentially what this is, but flat), I cut it in half and saved a bit for later.
I was skeptical about the Cheetos staying crispy but they were! Next time, I don't layer them directly onto the sour cream for more legit crunch in crunchwrap. Added bonus! It reheats very well. I kept it wrapped in foil to warm it through and then put it on the direct pan to recrisp the outside.
In conclusion, I'm fascinated that Taco Bell has popularized this format of tortilla folding. I highly recommend stuffing it with other things, it makes barely any mess. It's warm, comforting and fun to eat.
Have you tried this recipe? Tag me @Randwiches on Instagram to let me know. What other Taco Bell hacks do you want to see? Tweet your requests to me!