Bite-Sized Tacos

Begin by heating oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add an onion and ground beef to the skillet, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle salt, chili powder, cumin, chipotle, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, and cayenne over the beef mixture. Use a spoon to mix in the spices thoroughly; cook until the beef is browned and broken down into tiny pieces, taking around 5 to 7 minutes.

Next, add a tomato paste and water mixture to the skillet. Return the mixture to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, which should take 15 to 20 minutes. Add some jalapeno peppers and cook for just one minute.

Now, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stack up 2 or 3 corn tortillas at a time and use a round pastry cutter to cut out small circles from each stack, resulting in 60 total. Arrange the tortilla circles in a single layer on sheet pans, leaving about half an inch of space between each circle.

Combine Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses together. Place a small amount of cheese on top of each tortilla circle, using the pastry cutter to contain it. Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas and cheese. Top each circle with about 1 teaspoon of taco beef and another teaspoon of cheese.

Place the tortilla circles in the preheated oven and bake until the cheese is melted, approximately 3 minutes.

Once removed from the oven, carefully fold each tortilla in half to keep the filling inside. Allow it to cool for a short while, then refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

Heat some oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the tacos in batches, adding more oil as needed, until they are crispy and heated through with a bit of caramelized edge. Transfer the tacos to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.