I whipped out my snack-o-meter and decided to follow Guy Fieri's Super Nachos recipe. The ingredients and how-to are on the Food Network site. I'd actually been looking it over for some time. I was going to make it for dinner, but with friends and family glued to the TV, hollering and ou-ahing, a snack was in order. Nachos seemed the perfect dish.
I have made my own version of nachos plenty of times, but I wanted to serve something special. What could be better than Guy's recipe. Guy claims total time is 45 minutes: 30 prep and 15 to bake. But if you read my blog, you know that I have often said that I am a bit of a slow cook. I take more time than most recipes say.
With a houseful of hungry hooters and shouters, I was under the gun to get the prep done fast: it took me a little over an hour.
Now, our house has an open concept, so the kitchen is only separated by a half-wall bar type thingie. I can see the smiling faces watching TV and they can see me. I got more than one or two eagle eyes. My honey gave me the empty hand-to-mouth movement. I guessed that meant something like, "I'm hungry, hurry up." I took no offense, he was being his cute self.
I noticed that Guy's recipe calls for his homemade-from-scratch Italian salsa. Bad me, I used store-bought Mexican chipolte salsa for a couple of reasons. I like cooking shortcuts and my honey does not like capers. I do, but I wasn't the main eater-upper of this snack-time treat.
I cook Mexican food often, so when I shop at my local Walmart Supercenter, salsa finds it way into my shopping cart like salt and pepper. I had this salsa on hand in the pantry.
I used all the ingredients in the recipe for the filling. Yum! Of course, the toppings were right up there on my honey's love-this-food list.
Wontons Instead of Corn Chips
What drew me to Guy's recipe in the first place is his use of wontons instead of Mexican corn chips -- a typical chip in a Mexican food nachos recipe. I've made Chinese egg rolls many times using won tons, and they are pretty easy to cook with. Plus, my honey and I both love won tons.
I must say, they were easy to fry up using my wok and even easier to eat. They have a nice crunch and a mix of crisp and soft texture in the mouth. Really surprising and good all by themselves.
I finished up the pre-fry of the won tons and assembled the dish. I slid it in the hot oven and it was done. When I took it out of the oven, it looked exactly like Guy's picture posted on Food Network. I guess the salsa substitution didn't matter -- as far as the look of the dish goes.
I served it on the long pine wood coffee table in front of the TV with plates, forks and a big stack of napkins. I set out a dish of avocado slices merry-go-rounded with tomato slices and topped with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Some cilantro leaves finished the colorful picture. TV watchers already had plenty of drinks. No spills yet, I'm glad to report.
With a big Whew! I stand back and watch the dig-in specialists enjoy this snack. After a plate full myself, I really didn't taste any difference using the store-bought salsa. But then I didn't make the version with the Italian salsa so... well, you know.
In my kitchen, it was a great shortcut. My overall impression of Guy's Nacho recipe is this: it's delicious, but even with the turkey sausage, I'm not too sure it is the healthiest of recipes. But then again, health food is not the goal on this day.
If you make this dish, be sure to press the pepperoncini to dry out the juices. Otherwise, it's a go. Easy to make and delicious to devour.
This recipe as it reads is not for two people. It claims to serve 8. This may be right if it's a snack for hungry sports fans. But if it's a meal, I'm guessing that this nachos recipe serves 12 especially with a side dish or two. It's a hearty dish. You can refrigerate leftovers overnight, but don't expect the same crunch. Forget the freezer. I tried storing one serving, and it was mushy when I defrosted it.
That's what's on my mind today.