We were heading to a friend’s house to celebrate his birthday. His wife wanted me to bring some shredded beef and sweet potato baked taquitos to pair with the tortilla soup she was making. I decided to make the taquitos using ingredients and flavors from one of the birthday boy’s favorite dishes I made for him last spring, my shredded beef and sweet potato stuffed chiles. The beef turned out AMAZING–it was so tender, juicy, and flavorful. I loved the spicy beef with the sweet potatoes and the salty cotija cheese all wrapped up in the crisp corn tortilla. I served these taquitos with salsa and sour cream. They paired nicely with the soup and made the birthday boy and his wife happy.

Shredded Beef and Sweet Potato Baked Taquitos

Shredded Beef:

1½ lbs of chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
Chili powder, to taste
Paprika, to taste
Coriander, to taste
Cumin powder, to taste
Dried oregano, to taste
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 Anaheim peppers
1-2 cups of beef broth

Taquitos:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced into small cubes
16-18 corn tortillas
Shredded beef, well-drained
Cotija cheese
Olive oil cooking spray

Serving:

Salsa
Sour cream

How to Make the Shredded Beef

Side Note: I didn’t measure the seasonings; I just sprinkled them evenly all over the entire roast.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Sprinkle the chili powder, paprika, coriander, cumin, oregano, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste, all over every side of the roast

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven. Sear the meat in olive oil on all sides.

Spread the Anaheim peppers and garlic around the roast; add beef broth to the Dutch oven, then cover the Dutch oven and place it in the oven. Cook 3-4 hours, flipping the meat halfway through cooking time, until the beef shreds easily. Side Note: Check on the roast every hour to make sure there is plenty of liquid–if it’s low, add more beef broth.

Shred the meat with two forks and mix it into the remaining liquid. Taste and re-season if necessary. Set aside and let cool.

How to Make Shredded Beef and Sweet Potato Baked Taquitos

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat and coat it with olive oil cooking spray.

Cook the sweet potatoes by adding the olive oil to a small skillet over medium heat; add the diced sweet potato and cook for 8-9 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

Wrap corn tortillas in damp paper towels for 1-2 minutes in the microwave to soften.

Prepare the taquitos by placing a bit of shredded beef in the center of the tortilla, adding some sweet potato and a sprinkle of cotija cheese, then rolling.

Place, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Finish rolling the rest of the taquitos, then spray each of them with cooking spray.

Place into the oven and bake for 5-6 minutes, then turn over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Serve with a side of salsa and sour cream. Enjoy.