Nacho Party

Post and images by guest blogger, Rebecca White, of A Pleasant Little Kitchen. 

Visit her full blog or find out more about her here. 

There’s an impending large crowd to feed on Super Bowl Sunday and they are coming to your home expecting food and fun.

The amount of time available to prepare dinner is limited so not only does the meal need to be easily prepared and make-ahead friendly, but it also needs to be delicious.

Within this hungry football crowd are sleeping food dragons. These are the difficult eaters—smug ‘foodies’ or an adult with a picky palate.

May I suggest a nacho bar?

A “Nacho Night” get-together is a winner for all, regardless of the team you root for.

For the host, it is easy to plan and prepare. Meats and sauces can be made ahead, or even purchased from Market Street the night before and gently reheated before service. Clean-up is a cinch (disposable foil pie pans for all!). Toppings can be chopped and refrigerated a few hours before everyone arrives.

You’ll be casually sipping on a margarita when everyone arrives…and silently laughing. You’re actually making them do the cooking. And they’ll love you for it.

It’s a win for the guests because they are pleasantly surprised. Conversations become livelier as the diners dive into the nacho building process. There’s food options for the pickiest eaters.

But the overarching point of a nacho bar is that it’s tasty, memorable fun. You’ll be adding a memory to their food story and that’s awesome.

When people come knocking at your door ready for kick-off, you’ll be ready to score big with your fans. Offer up chips, a selection of toppings and lots of cheese.

It’s nacho night in America!

Here’s a brief game plan to follow for the nacho building:

Chips- make sure the tortilla chip is thick, not thin. Also, open the tortilla chip bag at the bottom instead of at the top. This allows all the small chips to be on the bottom of the nacho pile instead of on top. Market Street provides an abundant selection of tortilla chips that are perfect for nachos. It ranges from Tia Rosa to Xochitl to Market Street's very own, house-made seasoned deli chips (that make my heart skip a beat).

Cheese- Goopy “queso” is not invited to this nacho party. This makes the chips soggy and undesirable. Use a neutral blend of shredded cheese (Monterey Jack is a good option). Be very generous when adding the cheese. If your nachos are based on a theme (like Greek or Italian) use a meltable cheese that compliments the other ingredients.

Meat- offer a variety of meats or just stick to one. Market Street’s premade rotisserie chicken is perfect for nachos. Shred and then season with a bit of salt and lime juice—it’s an easy way to add flavor. BBQ brisket is also another excellent option.

Layers- When building the nachos, think lasagna: chips, meat, cheese and repeat. I generally go with two layers, you may want more.

Simplicity- Keep it simple on what initially goes on the chips and into the oven. Meat and cheese is all that’s needed at first (add beans and diced onions at the most). Leave the rest of the show up to your party guests and the toppings you put on your nacho bar.

Toppings- This is where the fun begins and Market Street’s deli and premade sections are the perfect place to grab a few goodies. Go BIG when it comes to nacho toppings, here are a few suggestions. raw onions: white, red, green. crumbly cheeses: blue cheese, feta, goat cheese. greens: cilantro, parsley, chopped romaine lettuce. sauces: buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, pesto, tzatziki. vegetables: pico de gallo (also available in the Market Street ready to eat section), radishes, cabbage, bell peppers, jalapeños. beans (canned and drained): black, pinto, cannellini.

Or if you prefer to skip the nacho bar and stick with pre-made nacho options, try these recipes for Buffalo Chicken Nachos or Chicken Pesto Nachos. Happy Nacho-ing!

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Author note: This recipe is a non-recipe. The ingredients are listed; however, the amount of chicken, chips, cheese and toppings is really up to you. The buffalo sauce is adapted from Alton Brown's Buffalo Wing Sauce. Feel free to use store bought buffalo sauce and ranch dip if time is limited.

For the nachos: 

Ingredients: 

canola spray

thick tortilla chips

roasted chicken, shredded

Lucerne shredded three-cheese blend cheese

For the toppings:

red onion, diced

radishes, thinly sliced

fresh cilantro leaves, lightly chopped

buffalo sauce (see recipe below)

buttermilk ranch sour cream drizzle (see recipe below)

Directions: 

1) Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with canola oil.

3) Make 1 even layer of chips on the baking sheet and top with chicken. Then add a generous amount of cheese (and I mean a lot of cheese). Repeat this step one more time (think lasagna).

4) Place the nachos in the oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is nicely melted and slightly browned.

5) Remove from the oven and top (to your liking) with the red onions, radishes, cilantro, buffalo sauce and sour cream drizzle.

For the buttermilk ranch sour cream drizzle:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup buttermilk ranch dip (see below)

water

Directions: 

1) In a small bowl, add the buttermilk ranch dip and water (1 tablespoon of water at a time) until the dip is a nice, drizzly consistency.

For the Buttermilk Ranch Dip:

Author note: This recipe is adapted from Food52’s Basil Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. If you plan to serve this with salty chips, decrease the salt content to 1 teaspoon to 3/4 teaspoon.

1 cup sour cream

¾ cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons shallot, finely chopped

2 tablespoons garlic (about 3 cloves), chopped

¼ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon kosher salt

zest of ½ lemon

Ingredients: 

1.Combine all ingredients into a bowl and stir well to combine.

For the buffalo sauce:

Author note: If you love buffalo sauce, like I do, double the recipe.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 cup hot sauce (such as Texas Pete or Cholula)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1) In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.

2) While the butter is still very hot, add the garlic, hot sauce and salt. Stir well to combine.

Chicken Pesto Nachos

Author Note: Nachos are a personal creation, preferences for meat, cheese and toppings differ from person to person. Because of that this recipe has no measurements for the ingredients, it is a non-recipe. Be prepared to be addicted. After I make a batch, I’m already planning when to make them next. Keep in mind when making these, the more cheese the better. Store bought pesto also works if time is limited.

Ingredients:

tortilla chips

roasted chicken, shredded or diced

mozzarella cheese

goat cheese

basil arugula pesto (for recipe, see below)

tomato and red bell pepper salad (for recipe, see below)

crème fraiche drizzle (for recipe, see below)

Directions:

1) Set the oven to 350 degrees and spray a rimmed baking sheet with canola spray.

2) Place one layer of tortilla chips, (evenly distributed and not a jumbled mess) onto the baking sheet. Top with a hearty sprinkling of mozzarella.

3) Top the mozzarella with 1/2 the chicken and then place chunks of goat cheese evenly over the top.

4) Continue steps 2-3 one more time.

5) Finish the nachos with a final sprinkling of mozzarella. Place the nachos into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.

6) Before serving top the nachos with the tomato red bell pepper salad, spoonfuls of pesto and drizzles of creme fraiche.

Basil and Arugula Pesto

Ingredients:

2 cups basil

1 cup arugula

1/3 cup pine nuts

3/4 cup finely grated fresh parmesan

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/3 cup pine nuts

juice of half a lemon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1) Place all ingredients, except olive oil into a food processor. Puree the ingredients until smooth.

2) While the pesto is still being pureed, pour the olive oil into the mixture in a steady stream.

3) Remove from the food processor and store in an airtight container.

Tomato and Red Bell Pepper Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup shallot, finely diced

2 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons basil, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1) Place all ingredients into a small bowl, stir to combine.

Crème Fraiche Drizzle

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons crème fraiche

1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1) Combine the two ingredients into a small bowl. Mix well.