It's not uncommon in North America to see nachos on the menu in bars and casual restaurants. What's absolutely uncommon is to find nachos that are any good. I've seen too many dishes labeled The Ultimate Nachos!! that turn out to be just awful.
So, what follows is my recipe for nachos. There's one trick to it, which will be revealed below, and a lot of common sense.
Evan's Common-Sense Nachos
- 1 large bag nacho chips (small, thick, corny chips are the best)
- ½ lb. sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 medium can black or pinto beans, drained (kidney beans just don't work)
- 1 medium onion, diced (optional)
- ½ lb. veggie beef substitute (optional; you can use real beef, or chicken, or nothing)
- 1 avocado (optional)
- 1 pint sour cream (lite works OK) (optional)
- 1 tub fresh salsa (avoid stuff with too much tomatoes)
Lay about 1/3 of the bag of chips one or two chips deep, flat in the bottom into a 9"x12" casserole dish. Grate about 1/4 of the cheese onto the chips, and add about half the beans, and some onions and "beef".
Put down another layer of chips. Grate about 1/4 of the cheese onto them, plus the rest of the beans and beef.
Lay down a final layer of chips. Grate the rest of the cheese on top, and add the rest of the onion. Bake in a pre-heated 400°F oven for about 15 minutes, then broil for the last 3-5 minutes to toast the cheese on the top. Serve with thin avocado slices, sour cream and salsa on the side.
That's it! The "trick" is doing the chips in layers -- if you put all the chips down at once, you get just a tiny layer of nachos on top, sitting on a bed of hot, limp chips. If you do layers, you get a whole pan full of nachos! Excellent!
Some other things to watch: use good chips. I like Mexi-Snax chips when I can get them. Use sharp cheddar; mild cheddar and monterey jack end up being flavourless gelatinous blobs. No kidney beans: they're too moist, fat and mushy. I don't like putting too much stuff in my nachos (veggies, jalapeños, olives), since they get too mushy and watery. Under no circumstances should avocado, sour cream or salsa go in the oven!