The Greatest Nachos
Prep
15m
Cook
15m
Total
30m
Bigly says
Nachos. NACHOS! A dish invented by a guy named Ignacio — that's where the word comes from, Ignacio became 'Nacho,' true story, you can look it up, I had people look it up — and ever since then nachos have been butchered by sad restaurants from coast to coast. The nachos most people eat are a TRAGEDY. A sad pile. Chips on the bottom doing nothing, three jalapeños on top doing all the work, and a single drop of sour cream that the kitchen clearly aimed and missed. A disgrace to nachos.
The best nachos of my life were at a gas station outside Tucson. True story. A guy named Hector, behind a little counter, with a hot plate and a cast iron pan, running the operation like NASA. I have eaten nachos in every state. Twice. I have eaten nachos in three countries you've never heard of. Hector's nachos changed me as a person. These are not Hector's — Hector wouldn't share the secret, I tried — but these are CLOSE. Close enough that you do not have to drive to Arizona, and frankly, that is a long drive.
Here's what nobody tells you. The whole game is the LAYERS. You build nachos like a great building — from the ground up, cheese on every floor, beef on every floor. You do not, I repeat DO NOT, dump everything on top of one sad layer of chips and hope for the best. Hope is not a strategy. That is what the airport food court does and the airport food court is a place where joy goes to die. We build it properly. Every chip on this tray has cheese, has beans, has meat, has pico, with a pickled jalapeño on top riding it like a little green cowboy hat. Every chip is a complete meal. Every chip is a journey. Tremendous. Tremendous.
Ingredients
- 1 large bag (about 14 oz)sturdy tortilla chips(thick restaurant-style, not the flimsy kind that snap looking at salsa)
- 1 lbground beef (80/20)
- 1/2yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tbspchili powder
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 1/2 tspblack pepper
- 1 canrefried beans (one 16-oz can)
- 2 cupssharp cheddar, shredded(shred it yourself, the bagged stuff has anti-caking powder, total betrayal)
- 1.5 cupsMonterey Jack, shredded
- 1/2 cuppickled jalapeños, sliced
- 2roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cupred onion, finely diced
- 1/4 cupfresh cilantro, chopped
- 1lime, juiced
- 1/2 cupsour cream or Mexican crema
- 1avocado, diced
Steps
- 1
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment or foil.
- 2
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and break it up with a spoon. Cook 4-5 minutes until browned. Add onion and cook another 3 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook 1 minute. Drain off excess fat.
- 3
Warm the refried beans in a small saucepan over low heat with 2 tbsp water, stirring until loose and spreadable. (Or microwave 60 seconds, then stir.)
- 4
Mix the cheddar and Monterey Jack together in a bowl.
- 5
Build layer 1: spread half the chips across the sheet pan in an even layer. Dollop spoonfuls of half the beans over the chips. Scatter half the beef over the chips. Sprinkle half the cheese mixture.
- 6
Build layer 2: top with the remaining chips, dollop the rest of the beans, scatter the rest of the beef, then blanket with the remaining cheese. Top with pickled jalapeños.
- 7
Bake 8-10 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly. Do not walk away — burnt nachos are a felony.
- 8
While the nachos bake, toss diced tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl to make a quick pico.
- 9
Pull the nachos from the oven. Scatter the pico and diced avocado across the top. Drizzle with sour cream (thin it with a splash of milk if you want a clean drizzle). Serve immediately, straight from the pan.
One more thing
Nachos are a buffet on a tray. The rule with nachos — write this down, pin it to the fridge — is you eat them IMMEDIATELY. The clock starts when they leave the oven. Cold nachos are a crime. Soggy nachos are a crime. Get people around the pan before it's even on the table. Hands in. Hands in. Don't be polite. Politeness is for people who do not love nachos and we are not those people. You're going to love it.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about The Greatest Nachos.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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