Loaded Steak Nachos
I guess these can be considered Carne Asada Nachos, too. Whatever you decide to call it - they're delicious!
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 45 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 lbs thin-sliced top round steak (cut into strips)
- 1 small jalapeño (sliced thinly)
- 1 small white onion (sliced thinly)
- 1/4 C cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 Tsp Sazon*
- 1 1/2 Tsp kosher salt (divided, to taste)
- 2 Tsp lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1/2 Tsp liquid smoke
- Vegetable oil (for frying)
- 12 small corn tortillas (cut into fourths)
- 1 batch Chile Queso
- 1 batch Easy Refried Beans
- 2 C Colby jack cheese (shredded)
- 1 batch Pico de gallo
Instructions
- 1
If you haven’t already made your Pico de Gallo, now’s the time. This gives the flavors time to meld while you work on everything else. If it’s already made or you’re using store-bought, you can skip this step.
- 2
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the steak strips with the sliced jalapeño, onion, cilantro, and minced garlic. Add in the Sazon, half of the kosher salt, lime juice, and liquid smoke. Toss everything together with tongs to ensure the meat is evenly coated. Set the steak aside to marinate while you prepare the other components.
- 3
Begin working on your Chile Queso. Once you’ve whisked out the lumps, start on the Refried Beans. When you reach the point where the beans need to be mashed or blended, start preheating the oil for frying your tortillas. Also, preheat your oven to the lowest setting, or to ‘warm’ if it has that option.
- 4
Keep the Chile Queso and Easy Refried Beans on the lowest setting to stay warm. Once your oil reaches around 365°F, start frying the tortilla chips in small batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan—this keeps the temperature from dropping and ensures your chips don’t end up greasy or chewy. Fry the chips for about 2 minutes until they start floating, then flip and fry for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a wire rack over a baking sheet. Once all the chips are fried, pop the baking sheet into the oven to keep warm while you cook the steak.
- 5
Place a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and let it preheat for about 3 minutes, or until it’s slightly smoking. Add your marinated steak mixture to the pan, spreading it out into an even layer. Let it sear undisturbed for 3 minutes to develop a good crust, then flip the pieces over with tongs and toss them around. Continue cooking until the steak is mostly cooked through and the onions and peppers are charred. Turn off the heat.
- 6
Take the tortilla chips out of the oven and move the rack to the highest shelf. Switch the oven from ‘warm’ to ‘broil’ on high. Pour the chips into a large bowl, sprinkle a generous pinch of kosher salt over them, and toss to evenly distribute the salt.
- 7
Line a large sheetpan with parchment paper and spread out half of the chips in an even layer. Top with about half of the shredded cheese, followed by a light drizzle of Chile Queso, a sparse layer of Refried Beans, and a layer of steak. Add a light sprinkling of shredded cheese, then pop the baking sheet in the oven. Broil for about 2 minutes, just until the cheese is melted.
- 8
Remove the nachos from the oven and repeat the layers: scatter the remaining chips, then add most of the remaining cheese, the rest of the queso, the rest of the beans, the rest of the steak, and the final bit of shredded cheese. Broil again until the cheese on top is melted and bubbling.
- 9
Spoon on the Pico de Gallo and any other toppings you like—sour cream, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, you name it. Dassit!