Favorite Ingredient Friday

Beef Taquitos

INGREDIENTS:
1. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for brushing on the taquitos
2. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
3. 1 clove garlic, minced
4. 3/4 pound lean ground beef
5. 1 cup salsa, plus more for dipping
6. 2 teaspoons chili powder
7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
8. 1/4 teaspoon pepper
9. 10 (6-inch) flour tortillas
10. 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack
Sour cream

1. Heat the oven to 400°. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook them for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the beef and use a wooden spoon or a spatula to break it up while it cooks, until it is no longer red, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the salsa, the chili powder, and the salt and pepper. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
2. Place the tortillas on a plate and cover them with damp paper towels. Microwave them until warm and pliable, about 45 seconds. Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup of the beef mixture, spreading it to an inch from the edges. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the beef.
3. Roll up the tortillas and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet with the seam sides down. Brush the taquitos lightly with vegetable oil, then bake them until the filling is heated through and the tortillas are lightly browned, about 8 to 12 minutes. Serve them hot with sour cream and/or salsa. Serves 4 to 6.

Just a word of advice: if you're like me and accidentally use 8-inch tortillas, instead of 6-inch, you'll need more than 1/4 cup of meat mixture to put on the tortillas (I used about 1/2 cup). You'll also need more cheese - 1/2 cup just doesn't cut it! And one more thing...in using the bigger tortillas your taquitos won't come out looking nice and thin like the picture above; they'll come out fatter, looking more like a burrito, but still good anyway! (I made these last night).