Friday, September 15, 2017

Crispy Basket Burritos – For Once, Oven-Baked is Better Than Fried

I worked at a Mexican restaurant while in college, and one of my least favorite tasks was frying the flour tortilla bowls. You had to hold the two parts of the basket that formed them together while they fried, all the while getting splattered by hot fat, and breathing grease vapors. It wasn’t fun, but they did come out nice and crispy, so to everyone else involved, it was totally worth it.

Here, we’re using the oven to achieve what I consider a superior product. They’re just as beautiful, and crispy as the ones from the deep fryer, but seem to be much less greasy. Not to mention, the mess is significantly less. I’ll trade those things for a few extra minutes production time any day.

Just be careful not to burn them trying to get the inside bottom crispy. Since that area is protected from the sides, it’s not going to get as browned, but it doesn’t have to. As soon as this is filled, no one will know the difference. Speaking of filling, deciding that is probably the hardest part of this whole operation, but I’m confident you’ll come up with something worthy. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 2 Crispy Basket Burrito Shells (aka Tortilla Bowls, or Tostada Shells):
2 flour tortillas (about 8 inches in diameter)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
oven safe ramekin, about 4 inches in diameter

9 comments:

shesfiction said...

....as an apparently unreasonable person I have to ask..... do you think that they would hold soup- or just fall apart?
Thanks in advance.... if they hold true it would make a much lighter take on a "bread bowl"

SpasticMuse said...

Big fan and love your videos Chef. But it's the ones like these (looking beyond the tostada bowl technique), that make me jealous of people to whom cilantro doesn't taste like Lifebuoy soap. It looks so pretty and tasty!

Oh well, parsley, oregano(Mex or regular), and sometimes mint will just have to do.

And as always,
Thanks Chef.

JLD

KitchenWitch said...

Yum! I like the tortilla bowls! They are especially delicious as bowls for Ice cream sundaes. If a little cinnamon, chile and unsweetened chocolate powder are sprinkled in, the whole concoction is reminiscent of fried ice cream. My favorite. M'mmm... fried ice cream...

ScottinPollock said...

Thanks for this... they came out great, and so easy.

This has upped my often consumed taco salads to a new level.

Divtal said...

Chef John, will this method work with corn tortillas? I have some on hand, and I'm willing to try it, and report back. However, if you know that it's a waste of time, I won't bother. I do prefer the flavor of the corn version.

mom of chef said...

Thank you, thank you Chef John! I love crispy Burrito Bowls and eat every piec, but they are impossible to find around here. Now I can make them!!

springrain62 said...

Oh Gosh..I was so excited to make this!! Came out fantastic! Next time I will calm down and flatten the bottom of the tin foil, lol. What if I added a little cayenne to the oil? Thank you so much! Now I now what I am serving company this week!

inchrisin said...

Looking Yummy Sir John. Thanks for the idea! With all of the work that was done with the foil I might just try to use a kitchen (propane) torch on these and see what happens.

Monrovia said...

Made them and they turned out great. Would be nice if you put the oven temp on the blog so we don't have to scan the video to figure it out.