Arizona Burrito with Carne Asada, Potatoes & Poblanos

This Arizona burrito with carne asada is a guaranteed happy-husband win for Michelle Ezratty Murphy, one of Familia Kitchen’s favorite homecooks. ”My husband Pat will ask me to make him this burrito, and I usually have all the ingredients in the fridge, so it’s easy to make,” says Michelle, who lives in Peoria, Arizona and comes by this burrito authentically. ”He just loves it.”

This Tex-Mex classic by way of Arizona is designed to be a portable meal that keeps you going all day. Comfort food at its most Southwestern delicioso, ”it’s basically my breakfast potatoes recipe with meat and cheese, usually cheddar or jack. All of it served in a toasty-hot burrito,” says Michelle. ”I like to make this dish for breakfast. Some people will put eggs into this burrito, but I do not.”

Bonus: This dish comes together quickly, she adds. Here’s how to make it, she says. Take a large, warm flour tortilla and fill it with grilled skirt steak and sautéd poblanos and potatoes. Top with your favorite Mexican-style melting cheese. Fold and eat while still nice and caliente. Welcome to comida heaven.

”I like to warm the tortillas right on the grill. That’s how its gets those nice grill marks, which give the burrito that smoky flavor. And then I fold and roll the tortillas around the cheesy goodness.” Be sure to use extra-large flour tortillas, says Michelle. ”I’m talking those special big ones that are about 12 inches wide. I usually make my own flour tortillas at home. But the ones you buy at the store are fine too,” she says, promising to send Familia Kitchen her recipe for flour tortillas in the next week.

The History of The Burrito

Like many Latino dishes’ origin stories, it’s tough to separate burrito myth from historical fact. One popular tale credits a Mexican Revolution-era street food vendor in Ciudad Juarez named Juan Mendez, who used a donkey to help him carry his tasty wares. The story goes that he started wrapping the meat and beans in a tortilla to keep them hot. The dish got its name from his little donkey — a burrito — either because Juan Mendez rode one or because the tortillas, like his pack animal, did all the heavy food lifting.

The burrito evolution continued when the bundled meal-in-one crossed the border, probably carried north by U.S. cowboys who liked their Mexican food to-go. Over the decades, burritos got chunkier and started including an expanding mix of ingredients. Californians added shredded lettuce and avocados to their namesake version. The Arizona burrito typically includes carne asada and some form of cooked potato: either sautéd with chiles or actual French Fries inside the flour tortilla. The Grand Canyon State is also responsible for another burrito history-making moment. Depending on who you ask, legend credits a restaurateur in either Tucson or Phoenix with accidentally dropping a burrito in the deep fryer and naming their addictively delicioso creation a “chimichanga.”

Back to burrito basics. It’s Sunday morning at Michelle’s house and Pat is craving an Arizona burrito. Michelle looks in the fridge. No surprise, she’s got all the essential ingredients for this classic dish. She fires up the grill. Arizona burritos for breakfast coming up.

Carne, chiles, papas and queso: Does it get any better and more essentially Mexican delicioso? Especially if you’ve been out having a little too much (possibly tequila-laced) fun the night before? We agree: It does not.

Hungry for an Arizona Burrito for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner?

Arizona Burrito with Carne Asada, Potatoes & Poblanos

Recipe by Michelle Ezratty Murphy

0.0 from 0 votes

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings

2 to 3

servings

Prep time

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb skirt steak

• 2 tsp olive oil

• 1 russet potato, large, peeled and diced

• 1 poblano chile, roasted or raw, diced

• 1 red pepper, small, diced

• 1/2 onion, medium, diced

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika

• 1 cup asadero cheese, shredded (or Mexican-style melting cheese)

• 2 to 3 flour tortillas, large

• For the Carne Asada Marinade

• 3 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

• Marinate the Carne Asada
• In a bowl, mix the olive oil, , garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
• Pour the marinade into a large zip bag. Add the skirt steak.
• Close the zip bag and shake well, so that the marinade is fully covering the meat.
• Place the marinating steak in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Before cooking, bring the marinated steak to room temperature.
• Cook the Vegetables and Carne Asada
• In a large non-stick or cast-iron pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat.
• Add the potatoes, peppers, onions, salt, pepper and paprika. Sauté on medium high heat, stirring often so the potatoes don’t burn or stick. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender.
• While the potatoes are sautéing, grill the skirt steak to medium rare. Don’t feel like grilling? Sear the steak on both sides in a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, until it is medium rare.
• Let the steak rest for 5 minutes. Cut steak into bite-size cubes.
• Make the Burritos
• Warm the flour tortillas quickly on a hot grill until you see grill marks. (An indoor stovetop griddle or cast-iron pan works well too.
• Just before assembling the burritos, sprinkle the cheese into the pan with the warm potatoes. Gently mix together, until the cheese is slightly melted.
• Add the grilled steak to the pan. Combine well.
• Transfer about 3/4 cup of the potato and meat into the center of each warm flour tortilla.
• Fold and roll the tortilla around the mixture. Tuck under the ends of the rolled tortilla, so that you form the classic burrito shape.
• Serve with your favorite salsa on the side.

Notes

• Michelle serves Anjie’s classic salsa verde or Angie’s avocado and serrano green salsa with this Arizona burrito.