Smash Burger Tacos with Homemade Burger Sauce

Smash burger tacos are a 20-minute dinner for four when burger night needs a change. I press lean ground beef onto 6-inch flour tortillas, then add American cheese and cold toppings with homemade burger sauce. The beef gets a golden-brown crust while the tortilla crisps underneath.

I mix the burger sauce first and let it sit before dinner because it settles as it stands, and the batch makes more sauce than four tacos need. For just this meal, I cut it in half. I use a small bowl for the sauce, mostly to keep it off the hot griddle.

Use medium-high heat with a light coating of neutral oil, then put the meat side down and press it with a spatula for a thin patty. After 2 to 3 minutes, I look for the crust before flipping. The tortilla needs another 1 to 3 minutes, and I pull it before it chars.

I top each taco after it comes off the heat, adding the cold toppings and sauce last. They're best while the tortilla still has its crisp edge (that's the part I like), so I get everybody to the table as the last taco leaves the griddle.