Name: Cheesy Fiesta Potato Skillet
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 5 small/medium potatoes; olive oil + salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika (for potatoes); 1 lb ground beef; 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper; 1/4 tsp cayenne; 2 tsp chili powder; 1 tsp each of cumin, paprika, and dried cilantro; 1 tbsp minced garlic; 1 1/2 cups microwaved white Queso; Sour Cream; Pico de Gallo; Fresh cilantro

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Cheesy Fiesta Potato Skillet is an easy and delicious dinner recipe perfect for Taco Tuesday! This is a recipe that comes together quickly with the potatoes cooked in an air fryer. This dish is so good topped with sour cream and fresh Pico de Gallo. Leftovers are also great as burritos!

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Ingredients

5 small/medium potatoes
olive oil + salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika (for potatoes)
1 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp each of cumin, paprika, and dried cilantro
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cups white Queso
Pico de Gallo
Sour cream
Fresh cilantro

Make the Potatoes

Start by peeling, washing, and chopping about five potatoes. It’s best to chop the potatoes into small cubes and try to cut them into even sized pieces so they cook evenly.

Add the chopped potatoes to a large bowl and season with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Toss the potatoes around in the bowl until they are well coated in seasoning.

Next, add the potatoes to an air fryer and cook at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. I like to shake the potatoes at least a few times while they are cooking. Shaking the basket of potatoes helps make sure they get cooked evenly.

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can also make these potatoes in the oven. Add the chopped potatoes to a sheet pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked to your liking. It helps to stir the potatoes half way through cooking.

Make the Beef

Once the potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add one pound of ground beef.

Cook the ground beef until it is cooked through and doesn’t have any pink showing. Drain the extra grease.

Season the ground beef with salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and dried cilantro. I like using this blend of seasonings for taco seasoning, but you could also use a taco seasoning packet instead of these seasonings if you prefer that.

Add 1 tbsp of minced garlic and stir everything together well.

Serve Cheesy Fiesta Potato Skillet

Once the beef and potatoes are cooked, it’s time to combine it all together and eat! Add the crispy potatoes to the skillet with the cooked ground beef. Stir the beef and potatoes together.

Pour about 1 – 1 1/2 cups of melted queso over the top of the skillet of ground beef and potatoes. I like using Pancho’s brand from Sam’s club, but any microwavable white cheese dip from the store will work.

Top the skillet with some fresh cilantro.

This recipe is perfect as is, but it also makes awesome burritos! I used the leftovers to make a burrito for lunch the next day.

When plating this I like to add a big scoop of sour cream and fresh Pico de Gallo!

Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

I used one pound of ground beef, but one pound of chicken is also good in this recipe. Check out my Chicken Queso Potato Skillet recipe!
I used 1 – 1 1/2 cups of white queso from a brand called Pancho’s Queso from Sam’s club, but any microwavable white cheese dip should work.
I use russet potatoes for this recipe because that is what we keep stocked in our pantry.
If you don’t have an air fryer the potatoes can be cooked in the oven at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until they are cooked to your liking. It also helps to stir them around half way through cooking.
I make homemade Pico de Gallo, but you could also use store-bought or even top it with taco sauce instead of pico.

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