The original and superior version of nachos with cheese has the smoky spiciness of roasted chile and chorizo. While it can be served with tortilla chips, it is best scooped and wrapped into warm corn or flour tortillas. This makes a great simple lunch served with salad or soup.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 to 6 servings

　　1 small fresh chile, preferably serrano

　　Butter for greasing the baking dish

　　1 tablespoon corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil

　　1 small onion, diced

　　1/2 pound Mexican chorizo, casing removed and diced or crumbled

　　1 pound melting cheese, like queso asadero, Chihuahua, or Menonita (see page 85), Monterey Jack, or mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

　　Warm corn or flour tortillas

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roast the chile in a dry skillet over medium heat (or over an open flame), turning to brown on all sides. Cool it, then peel, seed, stem, and chop.

　　

Step 2

Liberally butter a 9-inch gratin or similar baking dish and put it in the oven. Meanwhile, put the oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chile and chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chorizo is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Drain the oil from the pan.

　　

Step 3

Layer the cheese across the bottom of the heated gratin dish and sprinkle the chorizo mixture on top. Bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Scoop the hot melted cheese and chorizo into warm tortillas and serve.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.