Nacho Night: Sautéed Poblano, Black Bean & Bacon Nachos with White Cheddar Jalapeño Sauce
Whoever said nachos couldn't be fancy? I certainly never did. This recipe came as an afterthought to many hours of dreaming about making a white cheddar jalapeno sauce. Yep, that's right. I concocted this solely as a vessel for cheese sauce. Worse things have happened.
Another question: Who doesn't like nachos? No one. My husband and I go through phases of frequent nacho dinners. It'll fade away for awhile and then come with wreckless abandon. I don't know if this means there will be an increase in nacho dinners in the near future, but I have to say, this would be great with leftover Thanksgiving turkey thrown in the mix.
Sautéed Poblano, Black Bean & Bacon Nachos with White Cheddar Jalapeño Sauce
Serves: 2 for dinner, 4 as a snack or side
Preparation Time: 20-30 minutes
For the nachos:
A large plate serving platter's worth of tortilla chips (I used El Burrito Mercado's fresh tortilla chips that I picked up at Midtown Global Market)
1/4 c. bacon ends, diced (to make vegetarian, omit bacon and use 1 tbsp. oil or butter)
1/2 of a red onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, ribs/seeds removed and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. of your favorite thin salsa (I used El Burrito Mercado's salsa arbol asada)
salt, to taste
spritz of lime juice
For the white cheddar jalapeno sauce:
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
~1 c. milk (you may use more or less than 1 c., this is just an estimate—see directions)
1 jalapeno pepper, ribs/seeds removed and diced
1/2 c. white cheddar cheese, shredded or diced into small chunks
salt, to taste
Method:
1. Prepare your vegetables and bacon. Cook bacon over medium-high heat in a large saute pan until the fat starts to render out. Add onions, peppers, garlic and saute until the onions and peppers start to get soft. Add the black beans and salsa. Continue to saute until beans are heated and slightly softened. Sprinkle with salt to taste and a spritz of lime juice.
2. Meanwhile, make your cheese sauce. In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium-low heat (you don't want it to brown). Quickly add in flour and whisk continuously. Pour in a little bit of milk at a time and continue to whisk, until the mixture thickens, but isn't hard to stir. Add in diced jalapeno and stir. Add shredded cheese or small cheese chunks and continue to stir, adding more milk if necessary to create a sauce this is thin enough to pour, but not watery. Add salt to taste. Once the sauce is of a desired consistency, turn off heat and cover.
3. Place tortilla chips on an oven-safe dish and heat in the oven at 250 degrees for a few minutes until warmed. Cover the chips with the sauteed veggies and top with cheese sauce.
