Steak and Eggs Tacos
June 27, 2020 by Nicole Collins
You guys ever learn how to do something, and then you continuously do it, only not out of necessity but only because now you know how?
That has been happening with my approach to tacos these days.
You see, allllllllllllll of these years, I've been eating mediocre tacos on flour tortillas straight from the package. I have an electric stove, so I don't have the luxury of being able to char anything over the open flame of a gas stove.
Which means limpy tortillas for me.
Or so I thought.
I've recently learned a trick that allows me to get a decent char on a flour tortilla right in a hot, dry skillet. And let me tell you, my taco game has drastically changed since.
And, now I find myself eating tacos even more that I used to. And, I didn't think that was even possible!
So if you haven't figured it out by now, we are making tacos today. Charred tortillas and all!
Today, we're making Steak and Eggs Tacos!
Let's talk about the components of these tacos. We have a perfectly charred tortilla. We have cheesy scrambled eggs. We have a pan seared/oven finished steak in the cut of your choice. We have avocado and radishes to add a little pizazz. And, we have a cilantro jalapeno vinaigrette to drizzle over every last bit of these tacos.
Does that sound like heaven in your mouth, or what?
Let's start with the steak. Times are still a little weird in the grocery stores, so I ended up with the only cut of steak that I could find at the time: a sirloin strip. Now, I think this was my grocery store's way of trying to over market a cheaper cut of meat. But, you know what? I only spent $6, and I think it was perfectly delicious! So here's my point, you don't need to break the bank on a top prime cut of meat. But, since there are so many different cuts, thicknesses, and temperature preferences that can accompany one piece of steak, the cooking time variance will be extreme here. The best thing I can advise is for you to cook the steak how you would any other time. And if you don't cook steak often, use a meat thermometer and a google guide to find out how to achieve your ideal temperature. I like mine much closer to done than not; I had a pretty thin cut of meat, and I did a quick sear for color in a hot cast iron pan then transferred it to the oven for about 5 mins. It was perfect for me!
Now, let's talk eggs. I always thought that I liked my scrambled eggs nice and dry with a little bit of crisp brown on them. But, that was until I discovered the beauty of a NOT overcooked, softly scrambled egg. Here's the trick to getting a nice soft scramble. Pour your well beaten eggs in a medium heat buttered skillet, and move the eggs around the entire time they're cooking. Yes, the entire time. This helps ensure that no egg is directly on the heat for too long, and the egg can evenly cook without fear of drying out. We're going to fold in some freshly shredded cheddar cheese right at the end of the cooking process so the cheese can melt into the eggs without them overcooking. Talk about yum!
The dressing that goes on top of these tacos is light and refreshing. And, it comes together quick and easy in the food processor. All we need is some cilantro, half a jalapeno, a couple scallions, a little olive oil, and splash of vinegar. Blend until it's all combined and smooth, and get ready to drizzle. Now this dressing is really not that spicy in my opinion. It's possible that maybe just my pepper wasn't spicy. But, taste as you go before you decide if you want to add the other half of the pepper or maybe add some seeds to the vinaigrette if you like things a little spicier.
Once all of the components are prepared, it's time to assemble. Char the tortilla, layer in the eggs, steak, avocado, and radishes, and top with cilantro sauce. It may seem like a lot of separate pieces to make these tacos happen, but each element only takes a few minutes to prepare on its own.
These tacos are savory and creamy and herbaceous and have so much flavor bursting from every seam. They're hearty enough to be breakfast or dinner. And, we all know breakfast for dinner is a major win in my book. Not gonna lie though. There were definitely days where I had these for breakfast AND dinner.
For all of those electric stove users that have been dying for charred taco shells, you're welcome. Enjoy this life changing moment with me!
I hope you guys enjoy! And, let's eat!
Steak and Eggs Tacos
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
For the Cilantro Jalapeno Vinaigrette:
1 cup cilantro, packed
½ of a jalapeno, roughly chopped, ribs and seeds removed
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
For the Tacos:
8 eggs
1 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp + ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp + ¼ tsp pepper
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb steak (I used sirloin strip)
canola oil
8 6 in flour tortillas
1 radish thinly sliced
½ of an avocado, diced
Directions:
Make the Cilantro Jalapeno Vinaigrette: To a small food processor or blender, add cilantro, jalapeno, green onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth. Set aside.
Sear the Steak: Allow steak to sit out for about 30 minutes to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When you see white smoke, drizzle canola oil into the pan. Season both sides of the steak with 1 tsp and ¼ tsp pepper. Place the steak in the hot skillet, and sear for about 2 mins until the steak develops a nice, brown crust. Flip, and sear another 2 mins. Immediately, transfer the skillet to the oven to bring the steak to your desired internal temperature, roughly up to 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your steak. Remove from oven, and let steak rest in the pan.
Make the Eggs: Add eggs, heavy cream, minced onion, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper to a mixing bowl. Whisk well to break up the egg. Heat butter in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. When the butter starts to foam, add egg mixture. Use a spatula to constantly move the eggs around the pan until they start to set, pushing the in towards the center from the sides. Once the eggs look almost completely set and just a little wet, fold the cheese into the eggs. Once the cheese is distributed and starts to melt, remove from heat.
Assemble the tacos: Slice steak against the grain into bite sized strips. Evenly divide eggs, steak, radish, and avocado between the tacos shells. Top with vinaigrette. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*There are a lot of factors that impact the cook time on the steak including the cut of the steak, the thickness of the steak, and you're desired internal steak temperature. You can use whatever cut you like cooked to whatever temperature you like. I like mine medium well (don't judge me), and my steak was about ¾ of an inch thick. My steak spent just under 5 mins in the oven.
*I HIGHLY recommend charring your taco shells on the stovetop before you assemble your tacos. The char adds so much flavor! For a gas stovetop, place the tortillas right on top of the burner for a few seconds on each side. For an electric stovetop, heat a dry non stick skillet over high heat until it starts to smoke. Place the tortillas in the skillet for 20-30 seconds per side. You can do this in the same skillet that you plan to cook the eggs in. Just let it cool down first before you cook the eggs.
*This vinaigrette is not too spicy at all. If you want to up the heat level, leave the seeds in.
