Greek Inspired Smash Tacos

I love the idea of smash tacos, and have been exploring the many options.  Fusion food always calls me, so taking Mexican tacos, and giving them an ethnic spin is exciting.  The first recipe I tried was an Asian-Inspired Chicken Dumpling Smash Taco.  I enjoyed the unique flavors it included (recipe HERE). The other day I stumbled across the idea for Greek-inspired versions.  I looked at several recipes and then of course decided how to make it my own. 

For the meat mixture I worked mostly with the recipe on a site called Food by Maria, but I chose not to make the cabbage salad topping. Instead I created a simpler mix of fresh tomato, feta, and Kalamata olives.  I might include a few green onions next time. I topped the taco with a small amount of the tomato mix, and then finished with a dollop of Tzatziki. The other note was she made 12 tacos with this, but I found that spread the meat too thin for me. I made 8 and that seemed about right. 

These fusion tacos had a really great flavor.  The only think I would do differently next time is to dice the tomatoes early and let them drain on some paper towels to take a little of the juice out. Other than that, I am happy with this recipe the way it is.  One note is that it really helps to have a cast iron smash hamburger press. They are inexpensive and really help the thin layer of meat on the tortilla cook quickly and evenly.  I bought a 6" one which worked fine for the small tortillas, but they are available in larger sizes if you like. 

Enjoy!

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Greek Inspired Smash Tacos
Makes 8 Tacos

Ingredients -

1 lb.                       Ground chicken

1/2                         Small red onion (or more), finely minced or grated
4 cloves                 Garlic, pressed or finely minced
1-1/2 tsp                Salt
½ tsp                     Black pepper
1 T                        Avocado oil
Zest from one lemon
4 T                        Fresh mint, minced
2 T                        Fresh Basil, minced
1/4 C                     Feta cheese, finely crumbled
1                           Jalapeno (seeds removed), finely minced

8                           Small flour tortillas

Toppings -

Tomatoes diced and drained on paper towel
Pitted Kalamata olives cut in half or sliced

Feta cheese, crumbled

Green onions, chopped (optional)

Baby spinach

Tzatziki - homemade or store bought

Instructions - 

Mix together the ground chicken, red onion, garlic, salt, pepper, oil, mint, basil, feta and jalapeno.  Combine until all ingredients are well mixed.  Lay the tortillas on a cutting board.  Place 1/8 of the meat mixture on each. Spread the meat to a thin, even layer with the back of a spoon on each tortilla, coming close to the edge. Mix the tomatoes, olive, feta, and if you want, some green onion into a salsa style salad. How much you make and how much of each ingredient is up to you.  Set aside.  

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. If you don't have a non-stick pan, you will need to use cooking spray or oil so the meat doesn't stick.  Place a tortilla meat side down in the heated pan. Place a smash burger press on top or press down with the back of a large spatula. This makes sure the meat cooks quickly and evenly. Because the meat layer it can easily burn, so check regularly.  When done, move to a warm plate and cover with a towel. Repeat until all the smash tacos are cooked. 

Now for the toppings. You can change what you use and how much to make it your own.  I laid 2 cooked smash tacos on a plate, topped with a few baby spinach leaves, then added about a heaping tablespoon or two of the tomato mix. Lastly top with a dollop of  Tzatziki. To eat, you fold them in half like a taco. They are delicious!