Safety first: Lower in added sugar, not sugar-free. Not medical or nutrition advice; check with your doctor about your own diet. Please read our editorial guidelines before you start.
Key takeaways
- Let the drained potatoes steam dry in the pot for 5 minutes. Wet potatoes make a soft flatbread.
- Press the dough to 1/4 inch or thinner. The thin edges are the crunchy part.
- Cook the ground beef to 160°F, the USDA safe temperature, before it goes on the flatbread.
In this post4 sections
What we found, and what we are guessing
We read two mashed potato crust pages all the way through and a third that uses mashed potato as a topping, and saw more in search results. They agree on russet potatoes, drying them after cooking, mashing them smooth and baking thin at 400 to 430°F. They differ on the binder (flour only, or flour with eggs and baking powder) and on whether to roll or spread. The advice that came up most: dry the potatoes, press thin, use parchment or oil, and flip once. We could not read reader comments on most pages, so the fixes come from the authors' own tips. We kept the ingredient list and 425°F oven from our reel. The steam-dry timing, the flour range and the fridge times are our additions.
Watch the reel by @fiteat.rima on Instagram
Tested recipe
Crispy Mashed Potato Flatbread Tacos with Guacamole
Mashed potato pressed thin and baked crisp, topped with guacamole, taco beef, pickled onions and pepper. Makes 4, serves 4.
Ingredients
Potato flatbreads
- 2 medium russet potatoes, about 1 lb total, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 to 2 Tbsp if the dough is sticky
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, Diamond Crystal; use half as much table salt
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, to drizzle on the parchment and the rounds
Taco beef
- 8 oz lean ground beef, 93% lean
- 2 tsp taco seasoning, check the label for salt and sugar
Guacamole
- 2 ripe avocados
- 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
- 2 Tbsp diced red onion
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 pinch kosher salt
To serve
- 1/4 cup pickled red onions, jarred; check the label for sugar
- 1/2 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, cut in wedges
Steps
Step pictures are AI illustrations, not our dish. Our photos are coming after we cook it.
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Put the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until a fork slides in with no resistance. Drain well.
AI illustration -
Return the drained potatoes to the hot pot, off the heat, and let them steam dry for 5 minutes, shaking the pot once or twice. Dry potatoes make a crisp flatbread; wet ones make a soft one.
AI illustration -
Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle. Mash the potatoes until completely smooth. Stir in the flour, Parmesan and salt until a soft dough forms. Add flour 1 Tbsp at a time if it is sticky.
AI illustration -
Line a large baking sheet with parchment and drizzle it with half the oil. Divide the dough into 4 balls. Press each between two sheets of parchment, or with an oiled hand, into a round about 6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick or thinner. Brush the tops with the rest of the oil. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crisp at the edges.
AI illustration -
While the flatbreads bake, cook the beef in a skillet over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, breaking it up, until it is no longer pink and reads 160°F. Stir in the taco seasoning and a splash of water and cook 1 minute more.
AI illustration -
Mash the avocados with the cilantro, red onion, lemon juice and salt, leaving a few chunks. Taste and add more salt or lemon if it needs it.
AI illustration -
Spread guacamole over the warm flatbreads. Top with the beef, pickled onions and pepper, and squeeze lime over. Eat right away, folded or with a knife and fork.
AI illustration
Notes
- Contains milk and wheat.
- The USDA safe temperature for ground beef is 160°F. Measure with an instant-read thermometer.
- Dry potatoes are the key. Steam them in the pot for 5 minutes after draining.
- The reel says about 45 minutes. Our estimate is about 60 with boiling, steaming and pressing four rounds; that is an estimate, not a timed result.
- Added sugar: about 0 g from the flatbread, beef and guacamole. A jarred pickled red onion and some taco seasonings add sugar; check the labels. The flatbread pages we read add no sugar either, so we make no lower-sugar claim. Worked by hand from the ingredient lists; no online calculator was used. The card total sugar is natural sugar in the potato, avocado, onion and pepper.
- Every amount and time here is our estimate.
Swaps
- Use ground turkey in place of the beef and cook it to 165°F; untested.
- Use black beans in place of the beef for a meatless version; untested.
- Use sour cream or Greek yogurt in place of the guacamole; untested.
Storage and reheating
Storage: Store the flatbreads, the beef and the guacamole in separate covered containers in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. The flatbreads and beef keep 3 days; the guacamole keeps 1 to 2 days with plastic wrap pressed on its surface. Cooked ground beef keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and 2 to 3 months in the freezer (USDA). We have not tested freezing the flatbreads and do not recommend it yet. Assembled tacos turn soft, so build them just before eating.
Reheating: Re-crisp the flatbreads on a baking sheet in a 375°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Reheat the beef until steaming hot (165°F). Add the guacamole and toppings cold, after heating.
Nutrition (1 serving (one flatbread taco with toppings))
- Calories: 420 calories
- Carbs: 42 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Fat: 20 g
- Sodium: 523 mg
Estimates only, summed from standard USDA SR Legacy values per ingredient. Not medical or nutrition advice.
Where this recipe comes from
- Inspired by potato crust from the Idaho Potato Commission, which we used for steaming the potatoes dry and rolling thin, and by Potato Pizza Crust from Nutriciously, which we used for mashing smooth and spreading thin with a wet tool.
- The idea came from this reel by @fiteat.rima.
How to serve it
Serve right away, folded like a taco or with a knife and fork, with extra lime wedges. A cabbage slaw or a simple green salad goes well on the side.
Every recipe from Diane's reels in one printable book: the Healthy Recipes Cookbook.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my potato flatbread turn out soft?
Water is the usual cause. Let the drained potatoes steam dry in the pot for 5 minutes, mash them completely smooth, press the dough to 1/4 inch or thinner and flip the rounds halfway through baking.
Can I use another kind of potato?
Russets are best because they are starchy and dry. Waxy potatoes hold more water and give a softer flatbread; we have not tested them.
What temperature should the ground beef reach?
The USDA safe temperature for ground beef is 160°F, measured with an instant-read thermometer.
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