JayPo’s Penalty Boxed Lunch: The Navajo Taco

Welcome to JayPo’s Penalty Boxed Lunch, where we explore food from around the country! This week’s 30th official entry is from the very peculiar state of Utah. Outside of \"fry sauce\" do they have anything that is signature to the state? Wait, don\'t answer that. Instead, let\'s take in the beauty of the Navajo Taco.

Food History!

As previously mentioned, I could not find a signature sandwich for the state. I debated going with their \"pastrami\" burger, but that sounded boring as I\'ve done so many burgers with this sandwich journey. Navajo Tacos are a popular food eaten by many in the Southwest, which also happens to include the state of Utah. The creation of the Navajo Taco is of course a cute, yet probably tall tale. You can read more about it here , but it was \"created\" in 1964 in Navajo Nation, Arizona. You take traditional Native American fry bread and top it with classic taco and southwestern ingredients.

How I Made It!

This was one of my favorite stops on the sandwich journey as it combined one of my favorites (white people taco night) and fried dough. I went with a homemade dough, in which I deep fried, and topped it with seasoned ground beef, homemade guacamole, homemade refried black beans, lettuce tomatoes, shredded cheese and hot sauce. Now that I think of it, why I haven\'t I done this one again...

What Does A Local Think? (thanks to one of our AMAZING readers, Cory, for helping with this one)

Do you think the navajo taco represents your state accurately?

I gotta be honest, when it comes to food that represents Utah, it is a lazy answer to just assume some kind of \"Mormon Dish\" that is served all the time in homes and gatherings here... whether you are of the Mormon Faith (I am not, but some of my beer league teammates are, and they\'re some of the best people to be on the ice with), the food that jumps to mind that jumps to mind is \"Funeral Potatoes\" which is a pretty simple casserole that everyone eats. So, that\'s the first thing that came to mind for me.

However, after thinking a little deeper about it, Navajo Tacos are actually pretty foundational food here. We were served them twice a week in elementary school, and besides pizza, Navajo Tacos were the best thing you could get for a school lunch.

How do you make your navajo taco?

I can\'t say that it is a dish I have ever actually made, but this article has got me thinking about trying it out now. I\'m a broke \"blue-collar\" guy, so I mostly survive off of pasta, beer, etc.

How did I do?

The Navajo Taco you made looks amazing, man. In fact, when I do get around to making it for myself in my own kitchen, I\'m basically gonna emulate the toppings you used.

The ones we got for school lunch as a kid were seriously just a disc of bread with some beans and a mysterious brown gravy dumped on top of it. It was delicious, but that was also when it was being compared to other school lunch fare.

Where do you order your navajo taco?

The most recent place I went to in person that I ordered one was a few years back, but it was a place called Black Sheep Cafe in Provo, Utah ( https://www.blacksheepcafe.com/items/traditional-navajo-tacos ), and although it wasn\'t recent, I do remember it being pretty damn delicious.

I reached out to a buddy of mine who is of Navajo descent, and he told me that I ought to go up North to Salt Lake City (where I was born and raised) and try out a spot called Navajo Hogan, which unfortunately doesn\'t appear to have a link to reference, but going off of the photos available online of the building and the food they serve, it looks it\'d be much more \"authentic\" than what I have consumed up to this point.

Talking Points