Nachos

If you've looked through much of my blog, then you've already figured out that I love Mexican food. Here's another installment of my Mexican-ish dishes.

These nachos have a long history at my house. My dad started making these when I was rather young - I know before I was 10. I know this because that's about how long I've been making them for myself and my friends. Nearly every one of my friends who stayed the night with me at some point tried these nachos. I took what my dad started with and turned it into an art form. 

A funny story about these tasty treats... several months after moving to the South when I was 15, I went out one night with some of my new friends. When I returned, my mom said to me, "You'll never guess who called almost right after you left." I said, "BECKY!!!! Can I call her back???" Becky was my best friend from New York, and I missed her terribly. As calm as could be, my mom said, "No need. She was calling for the recipe for nachos. We told her what she needed to make them and how." I was crestfallen. lol The other day on Facebook, Becky posted that she was going to treat herself to some of these nachos, and I responded that it was probably high time I did a blog on these bad boys. She agreed completely!

They are not hard, but you need to use the right ratios between the ingredients to get the right taste. If you use too much bean dip, the chips will get soggy; too little and they are dry. Use too much cheese and it will overwhelm the other ingredients; not enough... well, you get the picture. Here is all you need for these amazing treats:

Bite Size Tostitos
1 can Fritos bean dip
Block of cheddar cheese (I prefer sharp or even extra sharp, but any will work; I also almost exclusively use Kraft)
Tabasco sauce
salt

These really are easy; it just takes a little time to get it right, but it is so worth it. 

First, line your baking tray with aluminum foil. Many many years ago I tired of scraping and scrubbing melted cheese off the tray and learned my lesson. Please don't learn this the hard way. 

Then start prepping the nachos. Take a chip and apply a thin coat of bean dip - I probably use about 1 tsp or so (and no, I've never in my life measured it) per chip. Then cut a thin slice of cheddar for each chip - I'd guess that my cheese is about 1-2 mm thick. Then apply a dot of Tabasco. I've gotten heavy handed with the Tabasco as I've aged - on purpose. Although I usually try and create some light ones also in case they start to get too hot for me. Here's a photo that shows the different steps:

I only did this tray for you. I always do the entire thing in stages: chips and bean dip; cheddar; tabasco. Place in 350-400 degree oven and bake until cheese is partially melted. It will continue to melt a little once removed from the oven. If you wait until the cheese is melted and all blending together, then your nachos will be much harder to separate and will be missing much of the cheese you intended for each one.

 I lightly sprinkle salt over the tray, and then serve immediately. Did I mention that these nachos are amazing? The Tabasco can begin to burn your tongue after several of these, so one way I avoid this is by bending the chips in half before eating. Another trick I do sometimes is to make a nacho sandwich - use a heavy Tabasco/heavy cheese with a light Tabasco/light cheese and stack them chip side out to each other. I know, you're not supposed to play with your food, but these are just too fun not to! lol