Nachos with Corn Relish, Roasted Tomato Salsa, and Avocado

There are occasions when I call people “dude.” I’m not sure where this snuck in and it’s something I wouldn’t say in average conversation but sometimes, just sometimes, I let it slip. For the most part I reserve starting a sentence with dude for times of excitement or things that are really awesome, harkening back to my days of watching television in the 90’s. For example, “Dude, that was awesome” or simply “Duuuude!”

At what point is this relevant to these nachos, you may be asking? After taking a bite of these nachos, I turned to M and I’m fairly certain the sentence that flew out of my mouth: “Dude, these nachos are the shit.” (this was also probably accentuated with some sort of hand motion/facial expression that bordered on ridiculous).

I think the weight of that sentence tells you all you need to know about my feelings towards this bowl of cheesy deliciousness.

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Nachos with Corn Relish, Roasted Tomato Salsa, and Avocado

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Preparation 15 mins 2017-07-22T00:15:00+00:00 Cook Time 45 mins 2017-07-22T00:45:00+00:00 Serves 2-4     adjust servings

Ingredients

• Salsa
• 1/2 pound Roma Tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 1 jalapeño
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• Corn Relish
• 2 medium ears sweet corn
• 1-2 jalapeños
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• Nacho Cheese*
• 1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch (or corn starch)
• 1/2 cup 2% or whole milk
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Everything Else
• 2-3 handfuls chips
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1-2 avocados, cut into chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450˚.
2. Slice tomatoes in half, chunk onion, and dice jalapeño and garlic for tomato sauce. Toss with olive oil and place in a single layer in a large baking dish or sheet tray with sides. Roast until tomatoes are tender and beginning to char, 30-45 minutes. Let cool slightly and place in food processor. Add cilantro and lime juice and run until combined.
3. Remove husk and silk from corn. Carefully remove corn from cob, using a sharp knife, cutting down the cob. Dice jalapeño into small piece. Heat olive oil in over medium heat in a skillet and add sweet corn and jalapeño. Cook until corn begins to pop, 5-6 minutes. Stir in honey, chili flakes, and lime juice. Continue to cook for 1-2 more minutes. Set aside.
4. In a sauce pan, toss together cheeses and starch. Turn on heat to low and stir cheese until it starts to melt. Add 1/4 cup of milk and continue to stir until cheese turns into sauce, adding more milk as needed to reach nacho cheese consistency. Add in chili powder, paprika, and garlic powder.
5. To assemble nachos, place chips in a bowl and pour nachos cheese on top. Sprinkle avocado chunks and black beans, then salsa, and finish with the corn. Sprinkle with a bit of extra cilantro.

by Erin Alderson

Recipe Notes

*Nacho cheese sauce from Alison of This Homemade Life

*For an extra layer of awesomeness, try your hand at making homemade tortillas chips (it’s really simple and adds so much!)