Tamales, moist corn cakes with savory fillings, rank high among those foods that are better ordered out because they’re just too complicated to make at home. Our goal was to bring this classic family dish back home.
For our tamales recipe, we turned to readily available masa harina, or flour made from masa that has been dried. We supplemented the masa harina with grits and added frozen corn kernels—together they vastly improved the flavor of the dough....