This is an amazing finger food, best set up using a simple assembly line of two or even three people. (You can also roll all the taquitos ahead of time and fry them immediately before serving; if you do this, and have cooperative friends, it’s almost as easy to make forty or even eighty taquitos as it is to make twenty.) Best served immediately from the skillet, they can also be made ahead and reheated in the oven. Serve with sour cream, any salsa (pages 610–612), Guacamole (page 22), or a combination.

　　

Ingredients

makes 20 taquitos, enough for 4 or more

　　Twenty 5-inch corn tortillas

　　1/2 to 1 pound Shredded Pork (page 396)

　　2 or 3 fresh jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips, optional

　　Corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil for deep-frying

　　

Step 1

Heat a small skillet over medium heat and toast a tortilla on both sides until pliable. Put a heaping tablespoon of the pork in a line near the edge of the tortilla and top with a jalapeño strip if desired. Tightly roll the tortilla and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and pork.

　　

Step 2

Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a deep, heavy saucepan to about 350°F. Gently slide in the taquitos and fry until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once. Work in batches; do not overcrowd. Drain on paper towels and serve.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.