Swedish Tacos

Directions

1. 1
   Smash the garlic cloves, remove the skins and mince coarsely.
2. 2
   Chop the onions into pieces about a quarter to half an inch square.
3. 3
   Dice or slice the hot chilies.
4. 4
   Grate the cheddar on the side of the grater with the big round holes.
5. 5
   Cut the tomatoes into chunks about the same size as the onions or a little larger.
6. 6
   Shred the lettuce finely into strips maybe 18 inch wide.
7. 7
   The essence of this dish is textured savoriness.
8. 8
   The sharp cheddar, hot chilies, and yellow onions all contribute without overpowering one another.
9. 9
   The tomatoes, besides adding a nice acidy zing, also give moisture.
10. 10
    But the key to the savoriness and to the unique taste of the dish lies in the first two steps involving the garlic, onions and hamburger.
11. 11
    Cheap hamburger is used because it has a high fat content and lots of taste.
12. 12
    I've made this with chopped sirloin and the like and believe me, the result is definitely inferior to using the cheap stuff.
13. 13
    Now that you've got everything sliced, diced and chopped you can start cooking.
14. 14
    Actually, I usually do these first couple of steps prior to doing most of the cutting.
15. 15
    That speeds things up a bit.
16. 16
    Heat a wok over high heat and put in a nice dollop of peanut oil about 2 tablespoons or so.
17. 17
    Let it heat for a minute then toss in the minced garlic, followed a second or two later by about 2/3rds of the chopped yellow onion the rest goes on the table, raw.
18. 18
    Right about now, it's gonna start smelling good in the ol' kitchen.
19. 19
    Stir the onions and garlic and reduce the heat to medium.
20. 20
    Take the frozen hamburger out of its wrapping and put it in the wok as is.
21. 21
    Smoosh it down and push the onions and garlic out of the way so the surface of the frozen hamburger is in contact with the hot surface of the wok.
22. 22
    If you haven't already whacked up everything else, now's the time to get on that.
23. 23
    As the hamburger browns, scrape off the done surface with a slotted spoon or spatula of some sort.
24. 24
    This goes on during the whole cooking time.
25. 25
    Flip the block of meat over and scrape off the browned bits.
26. 26
    Let the other side brown a bit then repeat the process.