The Goods

Recipe: Epic Game Night Nachos

Who said game night can't be foodie friendly? Get the best of both worlds with these delicious nacho stacks.

Who said game night can't be foodie friendly? Get the best of both worlds with these delicious nacho stacks.

These nacho stacks pack in tons of flavour, but won't leave you with a mountain of cheeseless chips. Pickled onions and filling can be made ahead of time. Leftover chipotle in adobo can be frozen for another use.

Ingredients

Nacho stacks:

  • 12 4” corn tortillas

Pickled onions:

  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1cup white vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar

Nacho filling:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo, diced, plus 1-2 tbsp adobo sauce, to taste
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup water

Guacamole:

  • 2 avocados, ripe
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Pico de gallo:

  • ½ cup white onion, finely diced
  • 4 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Assembly:

  • 1 cup full fat sour cream
  • Zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 1 cup medium cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup picked cilantro (optional)
  • ½ cup queso fresco or feta cheese, crumbled

Preparation

Pickled onions:

Place sliced onions in mason jar or glass bowl. Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a small pot and bring to a simmer. When sugar and salt are dissolved, pour mixture over onions. Set aside to cool until ready for use. This can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Nacho filling:

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Heat olive oil and add onion and garlic. Saute 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add ground beef and cook thoroughly, 8-10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until mixture is thickened, 10-12 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Set aside to cool. Store in refrigerator if making ahead.

   

Guacamole:

In a medium bowl, mash avocado with a fork. Add all other ingredients and continue mashing. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Depending on the ripeness of the avocado, add more lime juice and olive oil — guacamole should be thin enough to drizzle

Pico de gallo:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside until needed.

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Stack tortillas as follows. Tortilla, ¼ cup filling, 1 tbsp cheese, tortilla, ¼ cup filling, 1 tbsp cheese, tortilla. Repeat until all tortillas are filled. Bake in oven until cheese is melted and bubbling, 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sour cream, lime juice and zest, set aside. When nacho stacks are finished baking, top with pickled red onion and pico de gallo. Drizzle with guacamole and lime sour cream, garnish with cilantro and queso fresco and enjoy!