I made Irene nachos a few weeks ago and she asked me for the recipe. It occurred to me, "Why not blog it?" That was after I stopped laughing when she asked for the recipe for nachos. It's nachos! Not rocket surgery! But there is sort of an art to it. So I'll share my version.
First of all: My adoration of nachos: I love nachos. I think it's the perfect one dish meal. It is my default 2 a.m. drunk food. It's what I eat when home alone watching movies. All through high school. Because I was super cool. Nachos are simple, easy, mostly involves stuff you have in your pantry already, and any moron can assemble a plate. Even my brother.
Now, on to the art of the perfect plate of nachos:
What you need. The only essentials are the first three. Anything after that is dealer's choice. I'll explain a little bit why I chose each thing:
- Chips. I am partial to Casa Sanchez thin and light. I also like Mission strips. But good old Tostitos work in a pinch. Good chips will elevate the nachos. Going for broke? Make some yourself with corn tortillas and vegetable oil! (Advanced users only)
- Cheese. Your favorite. Shredded. I love sharp cheddar. But the mexican mixed bag stuff? Also golden.
- Salsa. Also partial to Casa Sanchez but known to use lots of Pace Medium.
- Beans. I like spicy no fat refried. Black beans also are a favorite. Beans are essential for fiber and give me some illusion that the creation is healthy.
- Got some leftover chicken or steak around your house? Chop it up into bit size pieces.
- Green onions. I like these on top to garnish. It makes it classy. That's right, my nachos are classy.
- Sour cream. Your nachos will be incomplete without sour cream. But I understand those of you that have an aversion.
- Avocado. You can just dice it and throw it on top, or if you're feeling ambitious, make some guacamole.
Take as large of a plate as you are feeling hungry. Place a single, slightly overlapping layer of chips down. Spoon a little salsa over the chips, then some of the beans and meat, if you are using them. Then as much cheese as you desire. I'm big on proportionality. I like the cheese to not completely cover the chips but want every chip to have some. Yeah, I've thought way too hard about this. Add another layer of chips and repeat the process of adding salsa, beans, and meat, followed by the cheese. You can keep adding layers until you have giant mountain of nachos. It's up to you. Seriously. I've done giant mountain of nachos. It's impressive. Throw in anything else you want to this concoction, too. Experiment!
Throw in the microwave and zap it for 45 seconds to a minute and a half. I usually do 45 seconds, check to see my cheese isn't frying, and then another 30. If you want super extra bonus points? Use the oven. I know, right? What a concept! 350 for about five minutes. Double extra super bonus points: Flip on the broiler for the last 30 seconds and crisp up the top. For advanced users only!
Pull out of the microwave or oven. Garnish with your diced green onion (to garnish, put in your hand and sprinkle on top). Glop on a large dollop of sour cream, scoop out your finely diced avocado. AND ENJOY!
Ok. Nachos recipe tested and was a HUGE success at my BBQ. This is proof that nachos do need a recipe, and thank you for posting this! I brought my phone into the kitchen with the blog entry up and followed your recipe. NO JOKE!
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