Beef Nachos
The 90s really fucked up the nacho, this is a re-do. Real cheese sauce spooned into holes in the meat, chips standing up like shards, guac and salsa on the side.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
500g beef mince
2 tablespoons Mexican seasoning (see below)
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
400g tomato puree
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 cob of corn, kernels cut off
170g corn chips
big dollop of sour cream
For the cheese sauce
50g butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon flake salt
400ml milk
2 cups grated cheddar
For the guacamole
1 avocado, peeled and seed removed
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 spring onion, chopped, all of it
1 tablespoon roughly chopped coriander
1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeno, or, as I didn't have any, use a whole fresh jalapeno and some green chilli sauce
For the tomato salsa
1 punnet baby roma tomatoes
1/2 red onion or 1 golden shallot, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon coriander stalks
For the Mexican seasoning
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons chilli flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
METHOD
For the Mexican seasoning, combine everything and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the beef mince and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up any large lumps.
Stir in the Mexican seasoning, onion and garlic, and cook for another 5 minutes until the onion has softened.
Add the tomato paste, black beans and tomato puree to the pan. Half fill the tomato tin with water, about 150ml, swish it around and add it to the pan. Season with the sea salt.
Stir well, cover with a lid and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter over medium heat, add the flour and stir until smooth. Continue to cook until it begins to turn golden, then add the bay leaf and the milk, 100ml at a time, stirring until smooth between each addition. Fold in the cheese until melted and combined.
Remove the mince from the oven and, if it has cooked a bit too much, add 150ml of water to loosen.
Use a spoon to make little holes in the meat sauce and fill them with dollops of the cheese sauce, using up 3/4 of it.
Scatter the corn kernels over the top, then arrange the corn chips sticking up and out like shards.
Drizzle with the remaining cheese sauce and some olive oil.
Bake for 10 minutes until golden and bubbly.
While the nachos are baking, make the guacamole by combining all the ingredients in a small food processor and blending until smooth.
For the tomato salsa, repeat the guacamole process but just pulse until you get the choppiness you want.
Serve the nachos with the guacamole, tomato salsa and a dollop of sour cream.
HINTS
Make holes in the meat and fill them with cheese sauce rather than blanketing the top. You get cheese all the way through instead of a lid.
Stand the corn chips up like shards. Flat chips underneath go soggy, upright ones stay crisp for scooping.
The Mexican seasoning makes more than you need and keeps for 3 weeks, so make the full batch for the next round.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4 - guide only):
Energy: approximately 19300kJ (4600 calories)
Protein: 215g
Fat: 290g
Saturated fat: 130g
Carbohydrates: 290g
Sugars: 40g
Fibre: 45g
Sodium: 14000mg
Note: the 2 tablespoons of sea salt season a large pan of mince, and the seasoning mix makes more than the recipe uses, so actual sodium per serve is lower.
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.