I was using basic ingredients for my nachos (I literally just used everything I’d set out for Taco Tuesday) so I decided to take it up a notch by making an actual cheese sauce instead of simply topping with shredded cheese and melting in the oven. But don’t worry, I did that too.
Start by prepping all your other nacho ingredients. You’ve gotta have tortilla chips, obviously. Next, brown up some meat with taco seasoning – I used ground turkey. Other toppings I used were avocado (diced small), sautéed peppers and onions, pickled jalapeños, salsa, and sour cream that I mixed with some chili lime seasoning.
Finally, for the cheese sauce, melt 1 tbsp of butter with 1 tbsp of flour and whisk for just over a minute. Add 1/2 c of milk and whisk while it comes to a simmer. When it’s thick enough to coat a spoon, turn off the heat and add shredded cheese blend, one handful at a time, til it reaches the right consistency. Sprinkle in some cayenne and you’re done. FYI – when mine seemed a bit too thick, I simply added in some extra milk, bit by bit.
Assemble all your nachos on a baking sheet, but take care to do it in layers. Don’t just put 45 chips down and load on all the toppings. That’s a sure way to leave some chips topping-less. Put down, say, 15 chips then toppings, then 15 more chips. You get the idea. Using a cheese sauce took these homemade nachos to restaurant level. I love how it gets the chips just a bit soggy, but then also using fresh shredded cheese gives you that great cheese pull you look for in a nacho. Discovering how easy it was to make a cheese sauce is going to be dangerous….
Peaches to Apples 