Southwestern Bison Taquitos

I adapted this delicious recipe from Open Plate Anthropology and made it a little more The American Southwest. This recipe makes 10-12 wonderful Taquitos that are perfect for dipping in salsa, queso, guacamole, sour cream, or just eating by themselves! You can use Ground Bison like I do or you can use some delicious spicy shredded Skillet Chicken. Or you could reduce the amount of Bison and add some Chorizo. Just make sure whatever you put in these rolled up bad boys is delicious.

• 1 Shallot diced

• 1 Jalapeño diced

• 1 Clove Garlic minced

• ~2 oz Hatch Green Chiles

• 1/2 lb Ground Bison

• 1/3 Cup Greek Yogurt

• 1/3 Cup Cream Cheese

• Dash Liquid Smoke

• Dash Green Chile Hot Sauce

• 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

• 1 Tsp Paprika

• 1 Tsp Chile Powder

• 10-12 Corn Tortillas

• Shredded Cheese (Pepperjack or Cheddar)

• Salt & Pepper

• Butter

• Cilantro for garnish

• Sliced Jalapeños for garnish

1. The first thing you’ll want to do after the prep is to preheat the oven to 400°. Then, on the stove, turn up a small skillet to medium and throw in some Butter. Once it’s hot, add the Shallot and Jalapeño and sauté for a few minutes. When they’re almost good and soft, add the Garlic and cook for another minute or so.

2. Next, add the Green Chiles and the Bison (and the Chorizo if you’re using any) to the skillet and stir and cook for a bit. If you’d like, add a few dashes of Spices to the meat and stir.

3. While things are cooking on the stove, combine the Cream Cheese, the Greek Yogurt, the Liquid Smoke, Hot Sauce, Cayenne, Paprika, and Chile Powder in a medium bowl and mix ‘em all together nice and good.

4. At this point, I place the Corn Tortillas on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and toast ‘em in the oven for a few minutes. Don’t let ‘em get crispy or burnt or anything. They just need to be warm so they don’t fall apart while you’re assembling them.

5. When the meat skillet is done, let it cool for a few moments before emptying the contents into the Cream Cheese bowl and mix it all up again.

6. Now spray a baking/casserole dish with some nonstick or butter and get ready to roll them taquitos nice and tight! I take the Corn Tortillas out the oven, place them on a small plate, place a larger plate or clean counter space in front of me, and behind that, I place the bowl filled with filling. I then spoon a nice sized spoon onto one end of the Tortillas closest to me and I roll ‘em up, using my fingers to keep the stuffing in. Once rolled, I kinda smoosh the contents out to the edges and then carefully place them in a neat little row in the baking dish. Your fingers WILL get messy.

7. When they’re all rolled and made and in the dish, I will lightly brush them tops with some Olive Oil and then place ‘em in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.

8. After 20 minutes, take ‘em out, sprinkle ‘em with some Spices of choice and some Shredded Cheese of choice and then put them back in the oven for about 5 more minutes.

9. When they’re done, plate them, sprinkle some Jalapeño slices and Cilantro on ‘em, and pair them with one of my delicious Cheese Dip recipes or Guacamole or both!