Taco Salad
Seasoned beef straight out of the cast iron, cold romaine, and tortilla strips you fry yourself — which is the part that makes it worth doing rather than opening a bag.
Method
Cook the beef in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, and season with salt and pepper. Add the taco seasoning, tomato paste and 2 tablespoons of water. Keep cooking and stirring occasionally until the beef is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Pull it off the heat.
Pour oil into a second large skillet to a depth of half an inch and heat it over medium-high until it is hot but not smoking. Fry the tortilla strips until golden, about 2 minutes, then move them to a paper-towel-lined plate and salt them immediately — while they are still shiny is when the salt actually sticks.
Season the romaine with a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, beans and beef and toss to combine. Top with the cheddar, pico de gallo, cilantro and tortilla strips, then dollop the sour cream over the top.
Notes from the line
Dry the romaine properly. Wet lettuce thins the sour cream, slides the toppings off the bottom of the bowl, and turns those tortilla strips soft inside a minute. A salad spinner is the difference between this holding together and going to soup.
Two cups of oil to fry two small tortillas is the one genuinely annoying step here. If you would rather not deal with it, toss the strips in a spoonful of oil and bake at 375°F until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes — you lose a little of the puff and none of the point. Crushed tortilla chips are also a completely respectable answer on a Tuesday.
Adapted from Delish. Headnote and method rewritten for Dad Made.