When Andrew Zimmern isn’t circling the globe for his hit TV show Bizarre Foods, he’s home cooking for his wife and 11-year-old son, Noah. “I serve this dish all the time at house parties, both for adults and for kids,” Zimmern says. “My son grew up eating spicy foods: Kids are more adventurous than we give them credit for. These super- sophisticated nachos are built with several components, all made from scratch and delicious on their own. When served together, they will blow your mind. I wouldn’t ask you to go through all of this work if you couldn’t use these elements in other dishes: The queso fundido makes a great dip; the seven-pepper salsa is a great rub for steaks, pork or chicken; the tomatillo-and-avocado salsa is superb spooned over grilled fish, shrimp or lobster. You get the drift.” Slideshow: Outrageous Nachos Reprinted from ¡Buenos Nachos! by Gina Hamadey. Copyright © 2016 by W&P Design. Published by Dovetail (www.dovetail.press)
How to Make It
Make the queso fundido: Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the chorizo into the skillet and cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until the meat is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the salsa, lower the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until any liquid evaporates, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cheeses and stir for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and continue stirring until all of the cheese has melted.
Scatter the chips on a serving platter. Ladle about half of the queso fundido over the chips. Spoon a cup or more of the avocado-tomatillo salsa around the pile wherever the queso didn’t land.
Sprinkle with the cilantro, tomatoes, onion and olives. Sprinkle the cotija cheese over the top. Serve with lime wedges.