Equipment Needed
- Large skillet
- Small mixing bowl
- Whisk or fork
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Cutting board & knife
- Spatula
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, let’s make the heart of the matter: the special sauce. This is non-negotiable and doing it first lets the flavours meld. In your small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, French dressing, pickle relish, vinegar, sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Whisk it until it’s smooth and a lovely pale orange-pink colour. Give it a taste—trust me, you’ll want to. Set this aside, and try not to eat it all with a spoon while you cook the beef. I’ve been there.
Now, for the filling. Heat the olive oil in your large skillet over medium heat. Add the finely diced onion and cook for about 3-4 minutes until it starts to soften and become fragrant. This step is a little upgrade I always do; cooking the onion directly in the pan builds a better flavour base than raw onion. Then, add your ground beef, salt, and pepper. Break it up with your spatula and cook until it’s nicely browned and no pink remains. This usually takes about 7-8 minutes. Once cooked, drain any excess grease if you need to, then stir in the 2 tablespoons of pickle relish. This little addition right at the end makes the beef itself taste “pickled” in the best way.
The assembly is where the fun really starts. I like to warm my tortillas briefly—just 15 seconds in the microwave between damp paper towels makes them pliable and prevents tearing. Lay a tortilla flat and spread a generous line of your special sauce down the centre. Then, layer on the seasoned beef, a handful of crisp shredded lettuce, a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, and a few extra chopped pickles if you’re a pickle fanatic like me. Be careful not to overfill, or you’ll have a hard time wrapping it neatly.
Finally, the wrap. Fold the sides of the tortilla in over the filling, then, starting from the bottom, roll it up tightly, tucking the ingredients in as you go. Place it seam-side down. I like to give the whole wrap a gentle press to secure it, and sometimes I’ll even warm the sealed wrap in the dry skillet for a minute on each side to get a nice, slightly crispy exterior. The first time I made these, I overstuffed and ended up with a delicious but disastrous mess. Learning to show a little restraint with the filling was a key victory!(See the next page below to continue…)