This recipe is completely unnecessary. Most people are satisfied with a bowl of chips, a bowl of cheese, and a bowl of chili. Presto, you've got nachos. Just what you need for a crowd.
But when you're doing nachos for two, you can do a little better than that.
Ingredients
1 large bag tortilla chips
1-2 pounds perfect chili
2-4 cups nacho cheese sauce
1/4 head of lettuce
1 medium tomato
1/2 medium onion
1/4 cup jalapeño slices
Directions
This is pretty much exactly the way I made nachos when I worked at a restaurant in college. Except that we used the nacho cheese in a can. Start by coring the lettuce.
Then cut one quarter out.
Chop into thin strips, then cut the strips in half.
Dice the onion.
To keep the nachos from getting soggy, you'll want to remove the seeds and pulp from the tomato. Cut it in half and squeeze it gently. Knock the pulp out with your finger.
Then dice the tomato coarsely.
Make sure the chili and cheese are both hot, and arrange everything around the plate you're going to use. The cheese isn't in this photo, because it was still in a pot on the stove.
Lay out a single layer of chips.
Put a scoop of chili in the middle, surrounded by a ring of cheese.
Then a second thin layer of chips.
I hate getting through the top layer of chips, having no toppings left, and a big plate full of dry chips.
Add another round of chili and cheese, then cover that with shredded lettuce.
Top the lettuce with diced tomato, then onion.
The order matters. The tomato stands out against the lettuce, and the onion stands out against the tomato. If you do the onion on top of the lettuce you won't be able to see it.
The last topping is optional. Add the jalapeños.
Now this is a thing of beauty.
It looks like a salad, until you notice the cheese hiding under the lettuce.
And the chili tucked in behind that.
But for me, the most beautiful view is when you're halfway into it, getting layers of chili, cheese and other fixings all the way from top to bottom.
And that's it.
Check back tomorrow for something really special. Anne made me an offer, and we finally did it. Follow that link for a preview of what I'm talking about, or just sign up using the link to the right to make sure you don't miss my first cross-blog special.
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7 comments:
Those pictures are yummy! And of course we need to use perfect chili for these nachos.
Of course. Why would you use anything less?
Mmmmm. Supper tonight! I'll be thinking about these all day.
drew, i would use something more- steak that's been cut nice and small, brown it in a frying pan, then simmer it in some water and seasoning
it's a bit more work, and not nearly as versatile as chilli, but it's always a hit at parties
also, after topping the chips with cheese and chilli, you can let them sit in a warm (250 F) oven for a while to let the flavors mingle!
Trixie, that's why I try to not start looking at food blogs until at least lunchtime.
Jehan, you're absolutely right about the steak. I've done that, too. My next nachos are probably going to be like the ones I had at a restaurant recently: pulled pork. Wow, were they good.
Holy cow - that brought back memories of my first pregnancy! A huge plateful of nachos with all the trimmings was my first real craving - and subsequent craving about three times a week for the next couple months! I love nachos!
Ahh, pregancy craving nachos. So that means "all the trimmings" included pickles, peanut butter and chocolate, right?
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