Tostadas Our Way

• 12 cup chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, smashed and minced
• 1 teaspoon recaito (found in ethnic section of many markets, and worth keeping regularly in fridge!) (optional)
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 12 teaspoons ground dried ancho chile powder, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
• 8 corn tortillas or 8 commercially prepared flat tostadas
• 1 (15 ounce) can refried beans or 1 (15 ounce) can vegetarian refried beans
• 1 cup of your favorite salsa, divided
• 1 cup sour cream, divided
• guacamole or chunked ripe avocado, for garnish
• shredded lettuce, for garnish
• grated cheddar cheese, for garnish

1. Saute the onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat until just soft, then add the garlic and recaito and stir well.
2. Add the ground beef and cook until meat is well-browned, using a spatula to break up the cooked meat into smaller pieces (some folks call this "hamburger gravel"), about 8-10 minutes.
3. Drain off fat.
4. Add 1 tsp ancho and 1/2 tsp cumin and stir well, cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Set aside.
6. In a bowl, combine the refried beans, the remaining ancho and cumin, 1/2 cup of salsa, and 1/2 cup sour cream.
7. Stir well.
8. If using corn tortillas: heat oil or butter (using butter is is a luxury and a bit decadent, but very tasty!)
9. in a pan and fry the corn tortillas, flat, on both sides until crispy.
10. To make tostada: spread refried bean mixture, then cooked meat mixture (I prefer my tostadas without meat, but Steingrim puts it on his) onto tostada shell.
11. Add a bit of salsa and guacamole or avocado chunks on top, then shredded lettuce, grated cheddar, and sour cream.
12. Eat and enjoy!
13. Makes 4 servings of 2 tostadas each.
14. Note: Steingrim likes his extra spicy, so he adds sliced jalapenos, his special very hot salsa or sauce, and extra chopped onion to his tostadas.

onion, olive oil, garlic, recaito, lean ground beef, chile powder, ground cumin, corn tortillas, beans, favorite salsa, sour cream, avocado, shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/tostadas-our-way-247067 (may not work)