Recipe courtesy of Nathan Janousek

Deep Fried Nacho Supreme

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Yield: 3 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 10 min
  • Active: 45 min
Share This Recipe

Ingredients

Taco Meat:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

1 pound lean ground beef (93 percent fat)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon finely ground pepper 

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

Cheese Sauce:

1 cup milk, plus a splash

1/2 cup cubed American cheese (2 percent milk)

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

1/2 cup melted processed cheese, such as Velveeta

1/4 cup pickled jalapeno juice 

Masa:

One 16-ounce bag yellow tortilla chips

One 10-ounce bag nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips, such as Dorito's

1/2 cup cotija cheese 

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

1/4 cup pickled jalapeno juice 

1 cup melted nacho cheese 

Vegetable oil, for frying

9 cubes Oaxaca cheese 

Garnishes:

Guacamole

Salsa

Sour cream

Pickled jalapenos

Chopped cilantro

Chopped green onions

Directions

  1. For the taco meat: Add the oil and shallots to a flattop over medium heat. Add the ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, pepper and seasoning salt. Add a tiny bit of water ? it makes its own sauce to cook in since the ground beef is so lean and doesn't create its own juices as much as a patty or fattier ground beef would. Cook, breaking up the ground beef with a wooden spoon so it cooks evenly, until the meat is fully cooked 7 to 10 minutes.
  2. For the cheese sauce: Put a splash of milk into a warm saucepan over low heat so the cheese doesn't burn or stick. Add the American cheese, pepper jack cheese for some spice and then the remaining 1 cup milk for some creaminess. Then mix in the melted processed cheese. Keep stirring so the bottom doesn't burn. Once there is a sheen to it and all the cubes are dissolved, add the jalapeno juice to give the cheese a unique and delicate consistency. Put the cheese sauce aside and keep warm.
  3. For the masa: Crush up the tortilla chips and nacho chips and put into a large bowl. Crumble the cotija cheese into the crushed chips, then add the pepper jack. Add the jalapeno juice ? this gives the masa the 'nacho' flavor. Add the nacho cheese into the masa for moisture and as a binding agent. Work everything together with your hands, smashing it all together; you don't want it to be dry or overly wet.
  4. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F (or in a pot). Make a little pancake out of the mixture, put an Oaxaca cheese cube into it, roll it into a ball and close it up. Make three balls, then put the balls into the deep fryer and fry them until they are crispy on the outside and the inside is gooey so the cheese gets a perfect pull, 4 to 5 minutes. When cheese starts to ooze out, but isn't running out, they're ready to pull from the fryer. As these three balls are frying, continue making six more balls for your three servings.
  5. Place three balls in each serving bowl and top the balls with the cheese sauce and taco meat. Make sure each ball has cheese so every bite has the nacho elements/flavor.
  6. Garnish as desired with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, pickled jalapenos, cilantro and green onion. 

Fudge Factor

Review: Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert's Chocolate Bar Nov 16, 2012

Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert have teamed up with master chocolatier Christopher Curtin to create the "Good & Evil" chocolate b …

Over-the-Top-Delicious Treats to Satisfy Your Food Obsession

Are you infatuated with ice cream? Do you lust over lobster? Swoon at the sight of chocolate? Here's the best recipe for each food …

Sifted: Plan-Ahead Valentine's Day Desserts Feb 6, 2013

By: Lauren Miyashiro

Get our take on the best in food news, recipes and more from around the web, including the best Valentine's Day recipes.

The Craziest Chocolate Creations for American Chocolate Week Mar 17, 2013

It’s officially American Chocolate Week. Check out photos of mind-blowing chocolate creations.

Train Frontman Pat Monahan's Dark Chocolate Obsession Feb 11, 2013

By: Cameron Curtis

Train frontman Pat Monahan, an avid chocolate lover, shared with us his top five reasons for eating dark chocolate.

Chocolate Desserts

Indulge in our decadent chocolate desserts, from cookies and cakes to puddings, souffles and truffles.

How to Chop and Melt Chocolate

Lots of recipes call for melted chocolate. Follow these step-by-step instructions to do it properly.