The Best Nachos You’ll Ever Make (Restaurant-Quality) | Epicurious 101

Quick Overview

Chef Saúl Montiel demonstrates how to make restaurant-quality, non-baked nachos by layering crispy tortilla chips with homemade refried black beans, melted Monterey Jack cheese, and topping them with fresh pico de gallo, avocado salsa, Mexican crema, queso fresco, and pickled jalapeños to achieve a complex balance of textures and flavors.

Key Points: The key to great nachos is layering ingredients (chips, beans, cheese) rather than piling them, ensuring every chip has toppings and remains crispy. The black beans are prepared by sautéing onions, garlic, epazote, and serrano pepper, then adding the beans and water, simmering until thick, and mashing to create a rich sauce. The queso layer is a melted Monterey Jack/Oaxaca cheese blend mixed with heavy cream to create a creamy, runny texture, which is then spread over a layer of chips and beans. Toppings include fresh pico de gallo (diced tomato, onion, cilantro, lime, salt), spicy Chile de Árbol Salsa, creamy Avocado Salsa, crumbled Queso Fresco, and pickled jalapeños. The layering technique prevents sogginess; the chips should be crisp, so the creamy cheese layer is added before the final fresh toppings. Chef Montiel emphasized that authentic Mexican nachos should not be baked, unlike many Americanized versions.

Context: Chef Saúl Montiel, owner/chef of La Única Tacos y Tequila, presents a tutorial on creating authentic, restaurant-quality nachos without baking them. Montiel, who is from Central Mexico, highlights that traditional nachos emphasize layering and textural contrast, avoiding the common pitfall of soggy chips that results from baking or improper layering.

Detailed Analysis

Chef Saúl Montiel provides a detailed method for making superior nachos, focusing on fresh ingredients and strategic layering. The process begins with preparing the refried black beans: sautéing onions, garlic, epazote, and a serrano pepper in vegetable oil to release aromatics. The pre-soaked black beans are added along with water and simmered until thick, then mashed to achieve a rich sauce consistency, explicitly avoiding over-mashing to retain texture. Separately, a creamy cheese sauce is made by melting Monterey Jack/Oaxaca cheese family cheese with heavy cream until it is running but not too thick. The assembly occurs in a cast iron skillet to retain heat. The layers proceed as follows: first, a base layer of crispy, store-bought tortilla chips (fried, not baked), followed by the refried beans, and then the melted cheese mixture. A second layer of chips is added, followed by more beans. The final layers are the fresh toppings: pico de gallo (diced tomato, onion, cilantro, lime, salt), a spicy Chile de Árbol Salsa, a creamy Avocado Salsa (made with avocado, onion, cilantro, lime), crumbled Queso Fresco, and pickled jalapeños. Montiel stresses that the chips must remain crispy, which is why the fresh toppings and the creamy cheese layer should not be baked underneath the chips, ensuring every bite offers a perfect balance of creamy, salty, spicy, fresh, and sour elements.