Polaco Tacos

Taco Polaco or Polaco Tacos are Polish Tacos. The appear to have originated in Texas in the 1970s. You can read more about that here. I first became aware of them via a blog I subscribe to on Twitter, Eastern European Foods. The basic "recipe" I followed is located here.

Before attempting to assemble my Polaco Tacos, I did a bit of Internet research. Yes, these are an American invention. So what? It turns out they are very tasty. After reading a lot of recipies, I found that there were endless variations. I decided to go with the recipe i found on Barbara's Eastern Eurpoean Food Blog on about.com. Here's what I did.

First, the key was good kiełbasa. To that end I made a special trip to the Polish store in Orlando--Europol Polish Deli. They carry Polish Sausage from Bobak's in Chicago--those people know how to  make good kiełbasa! I got the wedding sausage. I took one stick and cut it into about 4 inch lengths, then split each lenghtwise. I grilled each for a good five minutes on a side until slightly browned and some of the fat had rendered out. I put the sausage on a warm flour tortilla--taco size. Then i began the toppings. I gave a generous coating of Kośćiusko Polish brown mustard to the kiełbasa, then added a portion of well caramelized onions. Next was some drained sauerkraut--Polish, of course. Finally, I topped this with cwikla, a mixture of ground beets and horseradish (chrzan, in Polish)--very heavy on the horseradish! I did not put any cheese on these....the chosen ingredients seemed to be enough.

I served these to my guests and to a person, they all loved them. I have to say, I was very surprised at the great taste and flavor. The spiciness and fat of the sausage was balanced by the sweetness of the caramelized onions. The mustard and cwikla gave a good spicy sharpness and the sauerkraut added a great texture, a good mouth-feel, to this delight. The tortilla was only the delivery vehicle, attempting to keep all the components somewhat together.

In retrospect, I'm sure I'll make these again--but the variations are endless. Refried beans? How about sauteed mushrooms? perhaps topped with potatoes and onion? Who knows, the sky's the limit...my imagination could run wild. These were very, very good. Bardzo Smaczne (good eats!).