Chef’s Secret Pot Roast Tacos

Okay, first of all, these are supposedly tacos. But there are potatoes and carrots in them. That is exactly the kind of thing adults do. The meat is slow-roasted beef, which means somebody cooked it for, like, six hours. I don't understand why you'd spend six hours making something I can eat in four minutes. But I’ll admit, it’s really tender. And they cooked it with caramelized onions and garlic. I normally don’t trust onions. They’re basically vegetables that attack your eyes. But these are actually pretty good. Then there are potatoes and carrots braised in beef stock with everything. See? There are the vegetables. Mom probably thinks I haven’t noticed them. I noticed. I’m just choosing not to report it. And apparently even the tortilla couldn’t just be normal. It’s got thyme and sage in it. Now THIS I understand. Cheddar cheese frico. Basically somebody fried cheese until it became part of the taco. Finally, an adult had a good idea. Then they pour brown marrow gravy over the whole thing. Sour cream makes sense because it’s a taco. And Tabasco makes it spicy enough that Manny definitely won’t steal it. Actually…this might be the smartest part of the recipe. So you’ve got super-tender pot roast, caramelized onions and garlic, potatoes, carrots, crispy cheddar, gravy, sour cream and hot sauce stuffed inside this thyme-and-sage tortilla. Okay. This is actually really good. But there is no way I’m telling Mom that. Because the second your parents find out you like something with carrots in it…that’s what you’re having every Tuesday until you move out.

Ingredients

2 beef shanks
1 tsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 carrot
1 rib celery
1 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp thyme
1 bunch parsley stems
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 tsp black pepper corns
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp olive oil
2 yellow onions
6 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp kosher slat
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large Yukon gold potato
2 carrots
1 tbs butter
1 tbs flour
12 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 cup sour cream
1 tbs tabasco sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp kosher salt
12 corn tortillas

Directions

Pre heat your oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the knuckle from the beef shanks. In a small stock pot over medium heat add 1 tsp olive oil and the knuckle and saute for 2-3 minutes turning occasionally. Roughly chop the carrot, celery, and 1 yellow onion and add to the pot with 3 garlic cloves and parsley stems, season with 1/2 tsp kosher salt, saute an additional 3-4 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the red wine and add the thyme, bay leaf, and black pepper corns, top with 2 cups water and bring to a simmer. Place pot in the oven to cook for 2.5 hours. After 2.5 hours strain the stock and remove the marrow from the knuckles, chop, and add to the stock, discard the other solid from the stock.
In a small oven proof saute pan heat the tsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Season the shank meat with 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Saute the beef for 3-4 minutes per side to get a crust on the meat. Slice the onions and place around the meat with the whole garlic cloves. Place the saute pan in the oven covered for 2.5 hours. After 2.5 hours remove the meat, onions, and garlic from the pan but leave the fat. Shred the beef and discard and gristle.
Chop the carrots into 1/8 inch rounds and the potato into 1/4 inch cubes. Heat the pan with the beef fat on the stove over medium heat and add the carrots, saute the carrots for 3-4 minute and then add the potato cubes and toss in the fat. Add the caramelized onions and roasted garlic to the pan and saute an additional 1-2 minutes, deglaze the pan with a 1/2 cup of the beef stock, add the shredded beef back into the pan, mix to combine all the ingredients, and place back into the 325 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
In a small stock pot over medium heat add the butter and flour to make a roux, about 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining beef stock to make the gravy, cook for about 5 minutes to thicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat a griddle or fry pan over medium heat. Place the 1 tsp dried sage 1 tsp dried thyme and 1 tsp kosher salt in a spice grinder and pulse to combine. Brush one side of each tortilla with olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of the herb salt on top. Griddle the tortilla herb salt side down, about 1 minute. As tortilla is cooking, top the other side of the tortilla with 1 oz of shredded cheese to begin melting, after the herb salted side is done cooking flip the tortilla to the cheese side and cook the cheese for about 1 minute or until a golden brown crust has formed.
Top the griddled cheese with about a 1/4 cup of the beef and potato mixture, 1 tbs sour cream, 1 tbs beef gravy, 2-3 dashes tabasco and garnish with 1 tsp chopped parsley.
Serve.