Tacos with Charred Scallions

Ground N44 lamb or beef fast-tracks tacos for weeknights. There’s the rusty red, stewed meat variety you likely have had in hardshell tacos, or there’s this: Meat seared until a crispy brown and seasoned simply with ground cumin and a whole bunch of scallions. Some scallions soften and sweeten while others char, adding a depth of flavor that belies just how fast this came together. (If you like your tacos spicy, add 1 teaspoon chili powder with the cumin.) Top your tacos however you’d like, but we went with cilantro, avocado, lime, and hot sauce for a balance of freshness, creaminess, and kick.

INGREDIENTS 

2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil 

1 pound North 44 ground lamb or beef

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Small handful of cilantro sprigs, stems thinly sliced

12 corn tortillas

1 avocado

1 lime, cut into wedges

Hot sauce

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the ground meat, then use a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula to quickly press the meat into a thin layer. Cook, undisturbed, until meat is deeply browned underneath, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and the cumin, then add the scallions and chopped cilantro stems. Break up the meat into bite-size pieces and stir until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.

2. Warm the tortillas over a flame or in the microwave. Thinly slice the avocado and sprinkle with salt and a squeeze of lime juice. Divide the lamb between tortillas and top with avocado, cilantro leaves, hot sauce, and a squeeze of lime.