There are many “great debates” when it comes to food preferences. While some of these arguments are purely taste based (does ketchup belong on a hot dog) others can border on esoteric and absurd (is cereal a cold soup). One thing that should not be debated (IMHO) is that most restaurants get nachos entirely wrong. I can remember ordering a nacho appetizer at a chain restaurant (in the before time) and having a towering monstrosity delivered to the table. As if the chef was in a friendly competition to see who could build the largest tower of chips or was challenging the server to deliver the platter to the table without taking a disastrous topple. The problem, of course, is that the top chips are laden with all of the delicious goodies and as you work your way through the pile, you reach a base of ungarnished chips. I contend that a more perfect nacho can be made by spreading wide rather than piling high.
This last weekend, during the super bowl, I put my nacho philosophy to the test. What resulted was a gooey, satisfying mess of chips and toppings that I ultimately needed a fork to finish. SUCCESS!
The best nachos have a little bit of a whole lot of different ingredients. My mix included two types of beans, three varieties of cheese, ground beef, and a mix of fresh toppings like home-made Pico de Gallo, guacamole, fermented hot sauce, and sour cream. In the process of preparing my nacho extravaganza, I discovered that nacho cheese sauce is super-simple to make from scratch alleviating any feelings of guilt that comes with eating hyper-processed foods that are manufactured in labs.
So, without further ado--I present to you Kelli’s ultimate nachos.
Nacho Cheese Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 can evaporated milk
8 oz shredded cheese (cheddar of some ilk)
1 T cornstarch
2 T hot sauce (Franks Red Hot or equivalent)
3 slices pickled jalapenos - minced
Splash of pickled jalapeno juice
DIRECTIONS
1. Toss the shredded cheese in the cornstarch until well coated.
2. In a sauce pan over medium heat combine 8 fl ounces (about â…” of the can) of the evaporated milk with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Stir regularly until the mixture is smooth and homogenous. This to desired consistency with the reserved evaporated milk.
4. Eat with guiltless abandon.
Ultimate Nacho Spread
INGREDIENTS:
1 bag of corn chips
1 can of refried beans - thinned with water until pourable
1 can black beans - drained and rinsed
1 batch of nacho cheese sauce
8 oz of shredded cheese (Mexican 4-cheese mix)
1 lb. ground beef - cooked with taco seasoning
½ c pickled jalapeno slices - drained
GARNISH:
Pico de Gallo
Hot Sauce
Mexican Crema
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Sliced Radish
Cilantro Leaves
Cotija or Sand Hill Dairy Queso Fresco
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a 9x13 rimmed pan, start with a layer of tortilla chips around the perimeter--leave a space in the middle if you would like to ultimately put guacamole and sour cream on the nacho platter. I portioned the nachos into a bowl and added guacamole and sour cream at that point so my nachos layers took up the whole pan.
3. Drizzle chips with about ½ the nacho cheese sauce and ½ of the refried beans. Top with ½ of the pickled jalapenos, ½ of the black beans, ½ of the seasoned ground beef, and sprinkle with ½ of the shredded cheese.
4. Layer remaining chips on top and repeat drizzling, sprinkling, and topping until the main nacho ingredients have been fully utilized. Bake until the shredded cheese is melted (about 7 minutes).
5. Top with Pico de Gallo and drizzle with Mexican crema. Sprinkle crumbled cotija or queso fresco over the top and garnish with sliced radish and cilantro leaves. Mound your sour cream and guacamole side-by-side in the middle of the nacho platter and enjoy.
Kelli Kelly - Slinger of Produce. Slurper of Dumplings. Person of the Bean
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