Lately, everywhere I look all I see are crunch wrap supremes. Instragram seemed to be filled with personalized versions of the Taco Bell treat. And I will admit, the crunch wrap supreme is my particularly favorite item when visiting this fast food establishment. So I couldn’t resist the temptation to watch video after video of people re-creating it, and I therefore also couldn’t resist creating my own wild game twist. So, here it is: the Elk Crunch Wrap Supreme.
The Elk Meat
To start the recipe, I ventured to the grocery store in search of extra-large flour tortillas. I wasn’t interested in trying to do the recipe if I couldn’t find the correct tortillas for the job. I had seen other people online make adjustments such as using two smaller flour tortillas and then overlapping them, but I wanted to try and do it with just one. Two tortillas seemed like too much tortilla.
I almost squealed in the middle of the tortilla aisle when I found the right size. Because I find the correct tortilla vital for the success of this project, I have attached a link for the one I used: Mission Extra Grande Flour Tortilla.
Another important aspect was the proper crunchy corn tortilla for the middle. I found a Mission brand tostada corn tortilla base that worked perfectly. The link is also here: Mission Tostada Shells.
With the appropriate supplies in hand, I headed home to create my wild game twist for the Elk Crunch Wrap Supreme. I knew the meat was going to be key to the recipe. It needed to highlight the uniqueness of using ground elk while still making the taco reminiscent of the original recipe.
To a large skillet I added about a tablespoon of olive oil and then a medium sized diced white onion. Let the onion cook until softened and translucent, about five minutes. Next, add in the ground elk. I used two pounds of ground wild elk, which I had pre-ground with some bacon ends for added fat content. Elk meat is incredibly lean, so sometimes I add a fat in, usually pork based. I usually add about twenty percent “fat” into my ground elk when using bacon.
Slightly brown the ground elk and then add the taco mix seasonings. I did a tablespoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and oregano. I also did a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and black pepper. Add the spices to the meat and give everything a good mix.
To the taco spiced ground elk, I also added a small can of hatch green chilies, leaving the liquid in to add even more flavor to the meat, and two tablespoons of tomato paste. The elk takes about seven to ten minutes to cook through. Once finished, set aside.
Folding It All Up
The finally steps of the Elk Crunch Wrap Supreme taco are really just layering all the ingredients together, folding the taco, and giving it a quick heat in a skillet.
I placed the large flour tortilla in the microwave for ten seconds just to further increase the flexibility of the tortilla for folding. Having it just a bit warm made it easier. To the flour tortilla add a spoonful of refried beans. Spread the beans in a thin layer the same size as the tostada shell in the center of the flour tortilla. I used a jalapeno refried bean for this to add a little more heat to the taco.
On top of the refried beans, spread a heaping spoonful of the ground elk mixture. Press it down into the beans to keep things from getting too big. On top of the meat, add a large dollop of nacho cheese sauce and a large dollop of white queso dip sauce. Stir things around a bit to spread the cheeses evenly.
Place the tostada shell atop the meat and cheese mixture. Now it’s time to add the sour cream (my favorite part. I don’t know why, but I love sour cream a ridiculous amount.) To make spreading the sour cream a little easier, I actually mixed about a half cup of sour cream with the shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes. This created a little sour cream salad that was easy to spread on to the tostada shell.
The final layer is more cheese! Add a handful of sharp cheddar cheese to the top. Things are now ready to be folded up. To fold, start at the bottom of the flour tortilla and fold into the center of the tostada shell. Grab the corner you created to the right side and fold towards the center. Continue working in a counter clock-wise direction until you have folded all the flour tortilla towards the center. The top should have a star pattern.
Place the Elk Crunch Wrap Supreme folded side down in a large skillet preheated to medium high heat. Allow to cook about three minutes. The tortilla should brown and hold together now on its own while also melting your cheddar cheese. Flip and heat for two minutes on the second side.
Continue this process for each additional taco. I was able to get eight Elk Crunch Wrap Supremes from this recipe. The tacos were delicious, filled with melted cheeses and spicy taco elk meat. The tostada was the perfect crunch against the doughy flour tortilla. I could have eaten all eight by myself, but decided it was probably best to share.
Happy Hunting!
Elk Crunch Wrap Supreme
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground elk meat (or other wild game of your choice)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 6 oz can hatch green chilies
- 15 ounce can refried beans
- Package extra grande flour tortilla
- Tostada shells
- Tomato, diced
- Head of lettuce, shredded
- 15 oz can nacho cheese sauce
- 15 oz jar queso blanco dip
- Four cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- To a large skillet over medium high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and a medium sized diced yellow onion. Let the onion cook until softened and translucent, about five minutes.
- Next, add in the ground elk. Add seasonings, cumin, paprika, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Mix in the tomato paste and hatch green chilies. Cook until meat is cooked through, about seven minutes.
- Warm flour tortilla in microwave for ten seconds to increase flexibility for folding. In the center of the tortilla, spread a spoonful of refried beans to the size of the tostada shell. Top with ground elk mixture.
- Place a large dollop of each cheese: nacho cheese sauce and queso blanco dip. Spread evenly over meat mixture.
- Add a tostada shell.
- Mix shredded lettuce and tomatoes with half cup of sour cream. Spread the lettuce and tomato mixture over the top of the tostada.
- Top with a handful of shredded cheddar cheese.
- To fold, start at the bottom of the flour tortilla and fold into the center of the tostada shell. Grab the corner you created to the right side and fold towards the center. Continue working in a counter clock-wise direction until you have folded all the flour tortilla towards the center. The top should have a star pattern.
- Place the taco folded side down in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for three minutes, flip, and cook an additional two minutes.
- Repeat process for rest of Elk Crunch Wrap Supremes.