Recipe: “Nacho” Typical Tailgating Food
The Super Bowl is this weekend, and of course we are making some of our favorite fun food. Who doesn’t like nachos? Traditionally nachos are chips, cheese, maybe some meat or chili baked and topped with lettuce, tomato, onions etc. Nachos don’t have to be tortilla chips, cheese and seasoned ground beef. They can be so much more than that, and in our house they are! We have a favorite saying that applies to lots of things, not just food: NO RULES! In our opinion, there is nothing worse than getting a plate of nachos that only have “stuff” on the top which is wonderful but halfway through you are left with a plate of neglected naked chips. We like to layer the goodness, so all the chips get some love. Also, who says you have to use plain tortilla chips? The “walking taco” is no more than a form of nachos in a bag.
So we thought we would apply that to our super bowl plans, and make nachos 4 different ways. We had many different ideas but narrowed it down to these 4 favorites.
Pulled Pork Nachos:
Pulled pork (with or without sauce, your choice – again, no rules)
Shredded Cheese (We used Colby Jack)
Potato Chips (We made my own from scratch – it’s really not that hard)
Barbecue Sauce (We used Sweet Baby Rays – use whatever is your favorite)
Cole Slaw (easy recipe of shredded cabbage and carrots, mayonnaise, sugar and red wine vinegar)
Diced Onion
We used a 9 inch round cake pan, lined with parchment paper so we could contain the chips while layering them. We put a layer of chips, cheese and pulled pork and topped that with another layer of chips, cheese and pulled pork and then topped that layer with cheese and baked it for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. There is no rule to how much cheese and pork you can use. They are your nachos . . . make them how you like them. Remove from oven and top with slaw, onions and drizzle of BBQ sauce. If you used a cake pan and parchment paper, and place them on a tray or plate, it will make them easier to eat and prevent you and your guests from burning themselves on the hot pan.
Buffalo Chicken Nachos:
Shredded Chicken tossed in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (I use the white meat from a Costco Rotisserie Chicken – for $5 you can’t beat it)
Crumbled Blue Cheese
Green Onion – chopped/sliced/diced
Shredded lettuce
Blue Cheese Dressing
Tortilla Chips
We also used the cake pan method with these. Make your buffalo sauce, as directed on the Franks Red Hot bottle. Toss your shredded chicken in the sauce to coat it evenly. (This can be done ahead of time.) Layer tortilla chips, blue cheese and chicken. Like above, we did 2 layers. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with shredded lettuce, scallions (green onion) and blue cheese dressing. Remove from pan and place on a tray or plate and serve.
Coney Dog Nachos:
Hot Dogs (I used Koegel’s Snap Dogs)
Coney/Chili Sauce (I get Detroit Chili Sauce from Gordon Food Service)
Tortilla Chips
Diced Onions
Mustard
Cheese Sauce (you can use shredded cheddar, but I use gooey cheese)
Once again, the same cake pan method. Cut your hot dogs into bite size pieces and cook in a skillet on the stove to brown or char them up. Once again, this can be done ahead of time. Prepare your cheese sauce and chili sauce, these can also be done ahead of time but will need to be reheated prior to preparing the layers. We used round tortilla chips for these, layering them the same as the above recipes making 2 layers of chips, cheese sauce, hot dog pieces and chili and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven, top with onions and mustard and place on tray or plate to serve.
Regular Nachos:
Tortilla Chips
Cooked hamburger with taco seasoning – or some good hardy chili
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Shredded Lettuce
Diced Tomato
Diced Onion
Black Olives
Hot Sauce and/or Salsa
For these we used a method we have seen at a few bars and restaurants, which is a great way to present them to your guests. We used a large tin can (also known as a #10 can) on a sheet tray. Spray the inside of the can with cooking oil spray, to prevent cheese from sticking. Layer the chips, cheese, beef or chili, for this you may need to make 3 or 4 layers. We also added a ladle or two of cheese sauce over the top layer, to make them extra gooey and good. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, diced onion and black olives. You can also use sour cream and guacamole if you would like, but we didn’t this time. Using pot holders of dry towels, to prevent yourself from burning yourself, slowly remove the can while spreading the nachos around on the tray. Not only will you have impressed your guests but you should end up with a tray full of ooey gooey nachos to enjoy. Serve with salsa and hot sauce. I have to say, these were the best nachos I’ve ever tasted!
So which are you going to make?! We hope you found at least one nacho option that will be perfect for your Super Bowl parties this weekend. Until next time, live well, eat well and enjoy life!
- Keith & Teresa Becker