The One Ingredient Everyone's Adding To Their Tacos
When I'm feeling uninspired to cook, I do what a lot of people on the Internet probably do—I turn to my favorite food bloggers. I see what these genius creators are cooking up and hope if it will inspire anything new in my own kitchen, and most of the time, it works. One of my favorites to follow is Joy Wilson, a baker and cookbook author from the blog Joy The Baker, who is constantly cooking up delicious treats and savory dishes for her followers. This past summer, as she made tacos for her video series Camp Joy, she showed her viewers one of the secret ingredients she adds to her tacos, and that's shredded potato.
Intrigued by her potato-and-taco combination, I did a little more digging on the Internet—only to discover that the potato-and-taco combo is actually a thing. And I can't believe I never tried it until recently.
Here's why you should also try adding shredded potato to your own tacos, and for even more cooking tips, be sure to check out our list of 100 Easiest Recipes You Can Make.
The reasons you should add potato to your tacos.
First, I actually like Wilson's explanation for adding shredded potato to tacos. In her post—and in her video—she mentions that her parents used the potato as "a secret extender for pricier beef." If you're cooking tacos for a crowd and only have a small amount of ground beef, throwing in some shredded potato can be an easy solution.
Second, potatoes—whether shredded or cut into small cubes—is not a new addition to tacos. In fact, if you've ever made a trip down to Austin, Texas, and stepped into a Torchy's Tacos, you'll notice immediately that potatoes are practically a main ingredient.
A simple search on the Internet will also confirm this. Multiple food bloggers have different ways of making tacos with potatoes. Some show the classic combo of potato-and-beef, while others show different breakfast or vegetarian tacos that are made with potato.
Again, as Wilson says, potatoes are an easy filler for your taco, especially when you need to cook for a large number of people. But what isn't mentioned is how healthy adding potatoes can be for your tacos, which is something that health foodies should definitely consider for taco nights in the future.
Potatoes can increase the nutritional value of your taco.
Potatoes are actually a nutrient-dense, plant-based food that can provide your body with all kinds of incredible benefits. First, potatoes are actually full of fiber. One medium-sized potato provides your body with around 5 grams of fiber, which is 20% of your daily recommended intake, according to the American Heart Association.
Second, potatoes are also full of potassium—897 milligrams of it! With one potato you are also getting 25% of your body's potassium needs for the day.
Potatoes are also a great source of carbohydrates for your diet. They are considered a "complex carb", which means the longer, complex chains for the carbohydrate will take your body longer to break down, causing you to feel fuller for longer.
Plus, out of all the foods you can eat, potatoes are considered the best in terms of satiety. According to a Satiety Index of Common Foods published by The Department of Biochemistry at the University of Sydney, potatoes have the highest satiety levels compared to any other food. The index states that after eating a potato, you'll feel over three times more full than you would by eating a slice of white bread.
Between the boost in nutrition, the feeling of fullness, and the easy way to make even more tacos at home, it seems that adding potatoes to your tortilla is a game-changer for taco night.
