nacho expert

hi friends, lovers + people probably related to me -

22 - honestly feels like a lifetime ago, i had the post-grad sads, had recently been dumped + signed up for my first marathon - because i thought a shit ton of running would fix me

welllll i thought it was wednesday like three times this week

me just waxing poetic about nachos

so guys, these pulled beef nachos are freaking fantastic - they were inspired by (1) my ma’s italian pot roast (which is deliciously beefy +i like to use the leftovers to make nachos with) + the sometimes on the menu brisket burrito @ lonesome rose ( a tex-mex(ish) restaurant with v. good frozen margs that i used to go to for dinners + dates, full disclosure it’s also down the street from me).

ingredients for the pulled beef

a chuck roast ( i have no idea how much it weighed, but it was $14 on sale which felt like a deal, for something i ate for 3 days + still have leftovers to stash in the freezer)
2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
1 can of chipotle chilis in adobo
1 white onion (chopped)
2 serranos
1 limes
chili powder
cumin
olive oil
s&p

ingredients for the nacho base + toppings, et. al

tortilla chips (relatively sturdy + salty - i used donkey chips)
chihuahua cheese (the only pre-shredded cheese i use)
jalapeños
radishes
red onions (i quick pickled them with a lil apple cider vin)
sour cream (daisy, always)
pico de gallo + my favorite spicy green salsa from cermak produce
guacamole stuffs (white onion, ripe avocados, lime, lots of cilantro, s&p, serranos)
extra cilantro if you want for topping

steps

1st blend together the 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 can of chipotle chilis in adobo, 2 serranos, 1 white onion, juice of 1 lime + some water (like half a cup or so), taste - then season with s&p and taste again - set aside

2nd take out your dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot with a lid, heat some olive oil and sear your chuck roast after you’ve seasoned it generously with cumin, chili powder, s&p.

3rd pour the blended spicy tomato mixture/sauce over the chuck roast, put the lid on, burner on medium low + get cozy. this will take a bit (at least 3 hours - maybe more, i did not time it, just took lil peaks + poked at it a bit), this would be a good time to prep everything else, turn on a podcast - make yourself a beverage (time is a social construct now - so no judgment if it’s a tequila ginger cava spritz)

*note you could also do the beef in a crockpot/instapot (but i don’t have either of those things haha)

4th anddddd we’re back - hope you got all your silly little tasks done while this was cooking, test your beef to see if it shreds - if it does pull it out of its hot bath + shred on a cutting board, then add it back in on low and let it hangout for a half hour. once that’s done - pull all the meat out (tongs work best) and set aside to cool, save a little cooking liquid if you want to - but you don’t want it to be toooo saucy otherwise it will weigh down the nachos

5th assemble the nachos - chips + cheese + meat + jalepenos + more cheese for the heating process the toppings come later - so for you guys i ate nachos three days in a row - testing out what method i liked best (honestly they were all delicious + would do it again) - so if you want v. melty cheesy nachos - microwave them, if you want more of crunchy nachos - broil them in the oven. on the 1st night i got too overzealous with the toppings and the nachos got soggy too quickly - but were still absolutely good - crunchy gone soggy is some peoples favorite food texture. 2nd afternoon (it was a linner) i did the sheet pan method - deliciously crunchy + spread out reminiscent of the type you share with friends @ post work drinks + snacks, but i missed the cheese pull. 3rd times the charm, i microwaved them till they were warm + gooey then topped with the pickle(y) red onion, radishes + cilantro, i kept all the salsas/guac/sour cream on the side and dolloped generously every time i ate one. this is definitely my favorite method as it maximizes the amount of toppings. any way choose your own adventure with this one - i’m not going to tell you what to do.

naked nachos

overdressed nachos

b. casual nachos

cozy clothes only nachos

particularly good things i consumed this week

season 3 of search party all on saturday night - as you can tell my social life is blossoming

a fun sunday brunch with my brother ~ do-rite donuts (half dozen all cut up so you can sample) + breakfast burritos (leftover latkes, bacon, cheesy scrambled eggs, spinach, sour cream + hot sauce)

an impulsively ordered park district pools over country club sandwich from bungalow - definitely my favorite wfh lunch, not just because it comes with salt + vinegar chips

making milkshakes with kelli + watching the last of spinning out (terrible but also kind of good + uncomfortable) - the milkshake was v. delicious, but i need to work on my process - stay tuned

the MKTG team friday coffee clutch - it made my day so much brighter

this article about running in the chicago winter + this one by rachel monroe which was equal parts interesting + uncomfortable

love my mcnulty ladies group chat - the funniest + best ladies i’ve known for over a decade at this point

currently consuming

we keep the dead close by becky cooper - i’m not v. far in yet but it’s so so good + all the dogs that keep walking by my window in their lil jackets + sweaters

as always,

mk