Seared Sweet Potato Flautas and Avocado Salsa Verde
This will become one of your go-to recipes when you’re having friends over for margaritas.
Servings: 10 flautas
Ingredients
Avocado Salsa Verde:
- 8 medium tomatillos, peeled and cut in half
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems
- 2 scallions, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper, deseeded
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 medium avocado, peeled
- 1 teaspoon salt
Flautas:
- 3 cups coarsely chopped sweet potatoes
- 1 15-oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup ground walnuts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 10 corn tortillas
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
Garnishes:
- Cashew cream
- Finely chopped fresh cilantro
- Thinly sliced hot pepper
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Make the salsa verde first. In a blender, combine the tomatillos, cilantro, scallions, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, avocado and salt. Pulse the ingredients 10 to 15 times, until smooth, then transfer the salsa to a bowl and set aside.
- Next, make the flautas. Fill a medium pot with a small amount of water and insert a steamer basket. Place the sweet potatoes in the basket. Set the pot over medium-low heat, cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Steam the sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes, until they are fork-tender. Drain the sweet potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the beans, walnuts, salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, coriander, smoked paprika and chipotle powder. Mash everything together with a fork until well combined and all the spices are evenly incorporated. Set aside.
- In a dry small sauté pan or on a flat top grill over medium heat, cook your tortillas for 30 seconds on each side, just until they are warm. Transfer each cooked tortilla to a tortilla warmer or a bowl covered with a kitchen towel, so they can steam and soften before you roll them. Don’t skip this step or your tortillas might break as you try to roll them.
- Scoop about ½ cup (120 g) of the filling and create a line with it in the middle of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla over the mixture until you’ve created a rolled taco. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas. Heat your oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add your flautas to the pan with the seam side down. This will help the flautas stay together. Cook them for 3 to 5 minutes, turning them as needed to ensure that they cook evenly, until they are golden brown and crispy on all sides.
- Garnish the flautas with the Cashew Cream, cilantro, hot pepper slices and lime wedges, and serve them with the avocado salsa verde. Try picking these up and eating them with your fingers rather than a fork for a fun take on dinner.
Notes
