Breakfast Tacos > Breakfast Sandwiches

As a born-and-raised New Jerseyan, and NYC resident, I know I will take some heat for the title. Many of my friends and family members have close relationships with the employees at their regular spots. And when they go there on a bi-weekly, or often times a daily basis, they order the same sandwich or schmear on their favorite bagel. I do support that our bagels are the best the world has to offer, but if you ask me the taco, and the burrito for that matter, are far superior devices for the hand-held breakfast. I still love Taylor Ham sandwiches on everything bagels, but on any given week I have breakfast tacos at least three times, and the versatility of a taco is simply unmatched. There are a few keys to the perfect breakfast taco, including the way that you cook your eggs and and the type of meat and seasonings you throw in. Below are my thoughts on making the ideal breakfast taco along with my Top 3 Taco recipes for a bangin breakfast fiesta!

First things first, if you are making a breakfast taco you should be making scrambled eggs. Now, I understand this is contentious statement, even as I type the idea of a runny yolk cascading over a beautiful breakfast taco has has my mouth watering. And while I admit that there are a certainly few ways to make a breakfast taco with a runny center that work, the best I've ever made, or had, have always been with scrambled eggs. When you cook your eggs, throw in some s & p, garlic powder, a little cumin, and some paprika if you want a slight kick. Make sure you season you eggs while they are still raw so the seasoning spreads evenly, and as you cook the eggs, pull the sides towards the center of the pan as they cook and continually move them around to create the small chunks.. To avoid burning them, make sure the temp isn't too high and keep moving the eggs as they cook with your spatula. I like to add a little milk to the bowl when I scramble them to prevent the eggs from drying out. Lastly, if you plan on adding cheese, do so towards the end so it doesn't burn onto your pan, or just at it to the taco while you're building it.

The other recommendation I would make is to use some sort of leftover meat. If you are a vegetarian this does not apply to you, though I would go with refried beans and potatoes if I had to accommodate. But I think that the leftover ground beef, steak, chicken or anything else really, just adds another layer of flavor to the taco. It also makes it a lot easier to cook your tacos since eggs and meat typically cook at different speeds, and the leftovers only have to be warmed up instead of cooked through. One outlier to the leftover theory, which will be included in a recipe below, is chorizo, which is a phenomenal option for a breakfast taco and I'd say is almost always cooked fresh. If you are unfamiliar, chorizo is a spiced sausage and it adds a lot of extra flavor to a taco that your typical Jimmy Dean link just can't quite match. If you are feeling frisky one morning, I highly recommend getting yourself some chorizo and changing up your normal breakfast routine.

"Classic Ground Beef"

Probably the most commonly used, and my gf's favorite, ground beef makes for an excellent breakfast taco. Start with your ground beef, browned with a spice mixture of garlic powder, or 2 cloves of fresh garlic minced, cumin, paprika, cilantro, and s&p. I am not a professional chef so I eyeball everything, but I'd say to start with about a tsp of each, and maybe kick up the garlic and cumin to taste. Don't be afraid of seasoning, but keep in mind that the eggs are seasoned as well, so the two should work together. I'll often swap out the dried cilantro for some chopped fresh, but if you don't have any around it is perfectly fine. Presuming your meat is precooked, start with a little butter in the pan over medium heat. In a bowl, crack your eggs, add your seasoning mixture described above and milk if elected, and whisk the eggs until smooth. If you don't have a whisk, press the back of the fork into the top of each yolk to break them, then stir the eggs and gradually work the chunks through the teeth of the fork. Pour the eggs into your pan and let them get to a point that they are almost fully cooked. Once there, add your ground beef and stir everything together into one big delicious mess. Lay down your tortilla, I prefer flour, and put down a dab of sour-cream or guac as preferred. Spread in a small circle and lay down a god amount of your egg and beef mixture on top of that. If you waited on adding cheese, sprinkle a nice Mexican blend at this point and I would ad some sliced red onion, fresh cilantro, and some diced tomatoes. This is a super easy and delicious breakfast option during the week and a great way to use some leftovers if you participate in a regular taco Tuesday.

"Chorizo Hash"

As mentioned above, one of my recommended protein options for a breakfast taco is chorizo. Since it comes pre-spiced there isn't really much you need to add. So the question becomes, what is the best way to make it? You can certainly throw it in a hot man and crisp it up nice, but my favorite way is to mix it with diced potatoes for a type of chorizo hash. To not waste food, make sure you don't use more than 1 or 2 potatoes since we are dicing them and mixing them with the chorizo. Boil your potatoes, I'd use Yukon gold, for about 5 to 8 minutes until slightly softened, but still firm. Remove them from the pot and let them cool until you can dice them. Once diced, toss with s&p, garlic, and throw them into a hot pan with a bit of oil. Continue to stir the potatoes as they cook so that all sides begin to brown, and once solidly toasty, add in your chorizo so it can cook in with the potatoes. The potatoes will absorb some of the fat from the chorizo and will add flavor and moisture to help them finish cooking. Once your meat is almost full cooked, lower the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes, watching to make sure it doesn't burn. When everything is finished, add a nice helping to a tortilla and top with fresh cilantro, red onion, and sliced avocado. With this taco I also like to add some queso fresco for a little extra creaminess and to cool it down depending on how spicy the chorizo is. You may have noticed that I did not add eggs to this taco, but feel free to make scrambled or even a fried egg to go along with this combo.

"Steak & Eggs"

My last recommendation for the ideal breakfast taco is a classic combo of steak and eggs. Typically served in a platter, steak seems to work great with eggs and I think the flavors of a great taco work really well with the beef. Since I have already gone in on my egg guidance above let's focus on the meat. For my breakfast tacos I like to marinate my steak in a combination of olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, 3 cloves of chopped garlic, paprika, cumin, s&p, and about half a lime's worth of juice. You can use whatever cut of steak you would like, but I would stick to skirt or a hanger as it just works better in a taco and is very cost effective for a breakfast meal. I like to marinate my steak for at least an hour but feel free to keep it in the fridge overnight for maximum marination! Cook your meat in a hot pan, cast iron or grill pan preferred, and let it rest on a cutting board for at least 5 minutes before slicing. To assemble this masterpiece, lay down your eggs, steak on top so the juices drip onto the eggs, and this one absolutely requires fresh cilantro. I have already recommended this a couple of times above, and I know some people think it tastes like soap, but as far as I am concerned cilantro is a go to for Mexican food and in this taco specifically. I'd also advise adding some sliced avocado and diced white onions for added texture. With this one, I also add a bit a lime juice or salsa verde to bring out the zest and bite of the marinade.

I may come from the land of bagels but I hope you enjoy my take on a breakfast below the border. Play with the flavors and mix up the spices until you have your own favorite recipes and let me know if you enjoyed any of mine!