The Good Place Nachos
Directions
- 1Cut the corn tortillas into triangle shapes.
- 2Dry the tortillas in a low oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, or let them sit out overnight until thoroughly stale.
- 3Fry the dried tortillas in hot canola oil at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1-2 minutes until just shy of done, and season with kosher salt while hot.
- 4Make the guacamole by combining the flesh of three small ripe avocados, a clove of crushed garlic, half a small minced red onion, the juice of one lime, a teaspoon of toasted and freshly ground cumin, a healthy pinch of kosher salt, and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper.
- 5Mash the guacamole with a fork until relatively smooth. Add two finely chopped tablespoons of cilantro.
- 6Prepare a quick pickling brine for the jalapenos by combining two cups of plain white vinegar, two cups of water, four smashed cloves of garlic, and three tablespoons of kosher salt and a quarter cup of plain white sugar in a saucepan.
- 7Bring the brine to a boil over medium-high heat, and add sliced jalapenos.
- 8Once jalapenos are cooked, set them aside to cool.
- 9Make the taco meat by browning one pound of ground beef in a saute pan until it has some nice color and is barely pink in the center.
- 10Add half a small finely chopped onion to the pan and sweat for about two minutes.
- 11Season the beef with one and a half tablespoons of chili powder, half a teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground coriander, and dried oregano, and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Add half a cup of chicken stock and season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
- 12Let the taco meat reduce for another two to three minutes until nice and thick.
- 13Make the queso by melting two pounds each of cheddar and pepper jack cheeses in a large saucepan.
- 14Make a bechamel by melting two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Once foamy, add two tablespoons of flour and whisk together for about one minute.
- 15Slowly stream in one to one and a half cups of cold milk, whisking constantly until a bechamel forms.
- 16Add eight ounces of shredded cheddar cheese, whisking constantly until melted. Add half a drained can of Rotel tomatoes and chilies, and season generously with kosher salt.
- 17Assemble the nachos by layering store-bought chips, queso, taco beef, black beans, chopped white onion, chopped tomatoes, quick pickled jalapenos, and more chips.
- 18Bake the nachos in a 300 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes until melty and heated through.
Ingredients
- 10 corn tortillas
- 1 gallon canola oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 avocado
- 1 clove garlic
- 0.5 red onion
- 1 lime
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 0.5 jalapeno
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 0.25 cup sugar
- 1 pound ground beef
- 0.5 onion
- 1.5 tbsp chili powder
- 0.5 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp ground coriander
- 0.5 tsp dried oregano
- 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper
- 0.5 cup chicken stock
- 2 pounds cheddar cheese
- 2 pounds pepper jack cheese
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1.5 cups milk
- 0.5 can Rotel tomatoes and chilies
- 1 bowl black beans
- 1 bowl chopped white onion
- 1 bowl chopped tomato
- 1 bowl sour cream
Equipment
ovenknifebaking sheetlarge potsaucepanwhiskbox graterfryer
Tips
- Use corn tortillas for a robust chip.
- Dry the chips in a low oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- For maximum dryness, let chips sit overnight.
- Use freshly grated cheese for maximum meltage.
- Use cold milk when making the cheese sauce to prevent lumps.
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese, as they contain anti-caking agents that affect meltage.
- Make sure the cheese sauce is smooth before using it. It will coagulate quickly.
- Serve toppings separately so people can control the amount of each ingredient on their nachos.
- This recipe can be adapted for making a Naco (nachos in a tortilla).