Great DIY Nachos

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We're baking here in fajita flats...hit 104°F yesterday with a solar heat index of 125°F. Time for ice-cold beer, margaritas and nachos.

Dump a nice layer of your favorite corn tortilla chips into a glass 9 x 13 pan. Remove all the small, broken pieces. They don't need to be single layer.

Black beans in a can is the easiest version. Rinse them WELL under running water in a collander to remove the sulphur-laded packing water (skip this and you'll regret it ~ 8hrs later...). Shake well to remove excess water or dump into a paper towel. For refried beans, scoop them into a refillable squeeze tube and put a dollop in the middle of each large chip. Flatten wtih a large spoon. For spicy beef, brown a pound of gnd beef with chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic, salt and pepper. Then drop in spoonfuls as above.

Top with either sliced canned jalepenos, or sliced fresh jalepenos or serranos. I like to thinly slice on the bias.

Sprinkle with chili powder, salt, cumin, ground coriander, granulated garlic, etc. if NOT using meat above.

Shread at least a pound of your favorite cheese. Try cojita if you can find it. Also try two types for more variety.

Put in a 400°F oven on the lower rack for about 12min or until cheese if thoroughly melted and top of exposed chips brown.

Let rest for about 6min., while you add chopped cilantro, green onions, salt and fresh squeezed lime juice to the top.

Dig in and wash down with the cold adult beverage of choice!

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The key is finding good chips. The only store bought ones I like are made in Washington state and found in the Vrigin Islands (only place I know).

I love the crushed jalapeños used on the nacho at Joe T gracias in Ft Worth.
 
I use refried beans,chopped onion,jalapeños.
Instead of beef I use hot breakfast sausage crumbled up.
And a lot of shredded cheese of your choice.
I like cheddar.
 
I like that old-school PBR! Quite inexpensive and not too heavy when it's broiling outside. I also drank Schlitz for quite awhile before they jacked up the price, trying to "compete" with the upper-tier-foo-foo beers. That's just not gonna happen!

Canned jalepenos are cheap and consistent. Raw ones are very unpredictable, heat wise. Some are no more than bell peppers. Seranos are hotter and consistent.

Finding a good chip here isn't a problem. I do recall Dorito's corn tortilia chips being ranked very high by Cook's Illustrated several years back.

I make my own red salsa & guacamole and don't forget the sour cream to put the fire out!

Be sure to watch that screaming-hot-glass fresh out of the oven. It'll easily remove your fingerprints!
 
Update_1:

With great nachos, you need great salsa. DIY here continues. Most shelf stuff is watered down, cooked to pasteurize it and all is way over-priced for the cheap ingredients it contains. Do this in a (1) Cuisinart for best results or (2) blender.

2-14oz cans of diced tomatoes, drained (save the juice) or 1-1/2 #'s of meaty, tasty tomatoes in season.

1 fresh serrano chili (at least) (preferred) or 1 jalepeno. Optional: add 1 chipotle chili + 1 tsp of adobo sauce. Some jalepeno's will have no heat, thus I always use serranos. Add more. I do.

1/2 small red onion.

1/3C PACKED cilantro leaves (Wash thoroughly....)

2 med to large garlic cloves, peeled.

1+ Tblspn lime juice or one lime.

Yield: About 2 Cups.

Turn on the Cuisinart and drop in the serrano, garlic & cilantro. Chop until very fine. Add the lime juice, 1/2 tsp of salt, rake down the side-of-the-bowl and turn it on again.

Now add the red onion and pulse until you like it, fine or chunky. Add the drained, diced, canned tomatoes and pulse again to your preference. Taste and adjust seasonings. It may need a bit of sugar if the tomatoes are too acidic. If it tastes flat/dull, add a bit more salt + lime juice to kick it up a bit. To increase the tomato flavor, add 2 tsp's of tomato paste and pulse again.

If it's too thick, add some of the juice from the drained canned tomatoes and stir. If you like it thin, add it all in. Beats thinning it with water.

If you have fresh tomatoes, use those. I like Roma's as they have more meat and less water. If you have the large other varieties, cut in half around the equator and scoop out all the seeds and water, roughly chop and add to the Cuisinart. Adjust the consistency to your liking with the reserved juice.

A bowl of this, a plate of the above Nachos and an ice-cold adult beverage of your choice will be a refreshing snack after a hot day. If there's any salsa left, it'll be even better the next day.

Re: Tortilla Chips. I like On The Borders' brand. Beats the generic store brands hands-down. Plus they won't break off in the salsa bowl.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
The key is finding good chips. The only store bought ones I like are made in Washington state and found in the Vrigin Islands (only place I know).

I love the crushed jalapeños used on the nacho at Joe T gracias in Ft Worth.


Try On-The-Border's chips.

You can cut them thicker, then crush with a molcajete, rolling pin, brick wrapped in foil, mallet, etc.

Gopher Baroque!
 
Living in Central Texas has turned me into a chip snob.

Most of the places have home made chips and salsa served table side.

The local grocery store here HEB has homemade chips they bag themselves. They are pretty good.

My favorite beer with nachos is a Miller High Life, lol.

Such a cheap beer, but a classic for me. PBR is ok also.
 
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