Grilled Beef Tostadas

Tostadas are toasted tortillas with some sort of topping. They can be eaten open-faced or folded into the configuration of a taco. The tortillas would normally be toasted on a griddle and then topped, but these are grilled to allow the cheese to melt.

3/4 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1 large red bell pepper

4 flour or corn tortillas

8 slices pepperjack cheese1

Olive oil for brushing

Brown the meat over medium heat, add the next three ingredients (chili powder through cumin), and stir to blend. Hold the meat warm. If it tends to dry out, stir in a splash of chicken stock. Prepare the grill for hot direct cooking. Grill the pepper directly over the fire lid closed. Turn the pepper every 2-3 minutes until charred on all sides (approximately 20 minutes).

Place the pepper in a closed container for 15 minutes for it to steam in its own juices. Remove the charred skin from the pepper. leaving some small pieces of charred skin will not affect flavor and adds character. Some recipes call for removing the skin under running water, but that is not recommended.

Open the pepper, remove the stem, seeds, and membranes. Cut the pepper into strips. These steps can be done ahead of time. These steps can be performed in advance. Brush one side of the tortillas with oil and place them oiled side down on a cookie sheet. Lay a piece of cheese on each tortilla, spoon ground meat on top of each, and lay strips of roasted bell pepper on top of the meat.

Lay one more slice of cheese on top of each. Place the tostadas on the grill, lid closed, and cook for 3 minutes until the cheese has melted and the tortilla is toasted.