Cheesy potato and sausage breakfast taquitos - the meal prep manual

Step 1

Wash your potatoes and place them into a large pot of boiling water. You can leave them with the skin on and uncut. Boil for 20-25 minutes or until soft and easily pierced by a fork.

Step 2

When cooked through, remove from the water and set aside to cool. Once you are able to handle them, remove the skin. It should peel right off with ease.

Step 3

Cut the potatoes into small pieces and then mash them with a fork. You aren't going for a perfectly smooth mashed potato here, just break them down into smaller pieces. It is okay and even preferred that some small chunks are present.

Step 4

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 5

While the potatoes are boiling make your sausage. In a large bowl add the pork with all of the seasonings, oil, and brown sugar. Mix thoroughly to incorporate into the meat. You need to ensure the seasonings are well distributed throughout the meat, it is much easier to accomplish this by using your hands instead of a spoon or spatula.

Step 6

Line a large sheet tray with parchment paper and spray lightly with oil. Plop down your seasoned meat mixture in the center and begin to form in in a large, flat rectangle. For reference, mine was rougly ¼ inch in thickness.

Step 7

The goal is to have your sausage pieces the same size as your tortilla so you get a piece of sausage in every bite. The tortillas are 5 inches in diameter and the meat will shrink a bit in the oven so try to shoot for a rectangle with dimensions around 18-20" by 12". The end product will shrink to around 10" in width which is easy to cut in half for the perfect size.

Step 8

Place the tray into the oven at 425 °F (218 °C) for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and the top has begun to develop color.

Step 9

Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Step 10

Cut into 40 sausage links for each tortilla.

Step 11

Wash and cut the red pepper into a small dice. You could even go as far as to mince it if you wish.

Step 12

In a skillet over medium heat, add 1 tsp of oil and add the peppers to cook. Allow them to soften and develop a bit of color.

Step 13

While the peppers are cooking, crack 6 eggs into a bowl and beat them until smooth.

Step 14

Add an additional 2 tsp of oil and pour in your eggs. Cook them with the peppers until they reach a soft scramble. Remove from heat and set aside until you are ready for them.

Step 15

In a large bowl, mix together your smashed potatoes, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, and eggs. Stir until evenly distributed. Taste test and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.

Step 16

I made 40 taquitos out of this recipe using 5 inch corn tortillas.

Step 17

Your tortillas need to be warmed before you roll them otherwise they will crack and fall apart. I find that the best way to do this is by placing them in a dry skillet over medium heat for a minute or so on each side.

Step 18

Create a workspace where you have room to lay out a handful of tortillas at a time, your filling, and an empty sheet pan to hold the rolled taquitos. I had around 1700g of total filling which means that each taquito will get about 32g. A 1oz cookie scoop that is slightly overfilled is about this amount and will make the construction process easier.

Step 19

As the tortillas come out of the skillet, lay them on your surface and place a scoop of the filling on one half of the tortilla and spread it across the surface. Place one sausage link on top of the filling and roll the tortilla tight to form the taquito. You don't want to place the filling and the sausage directly in the center because that makes it impossible to roll. Once rolled, place them onto your sheet pan with the seam side down so they stay closed.

Step 20

Continue working through the rolling process until all of your taquitos have been built. As the tortillas in the skillet are heated and removed, place new ones in to start warming while you fill the others. This will keep things moving faster. One thing to be aware of is that if you leave the tortillas in the pan for too long they will start to get crispy and you don't want that to happen.

Step 21

Once you have a stack of taquitos on your sheet pan, place them in the freezer uncovered so that they can freeze all of the way through.

Step 22

Once the frozen solid, place them into your vacuum bags and remove the air. Store in your freezer.

Step 23

To reheat you can use the microwave or the air fryer. You can place a few in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot. The more you put on a plate the longer it will take. Sometimes it's nice to cover them in a damp paper towel.

Step 24

If you want them to be crispy, the air fryer is your best bet. I find it best to microwave them first for 30s to a minute to thaw them out a bit, then air fry. If you go straight from the freezer to the air fryer, the tortillas get burnt before they are thawed in the center.