Recipe: Chile-Rubbed Sirloin & Green Chile Nachos

Chile-Rubbed Sirloin
& Green Chile Nachos

Makes one 12x18-inch tray or equivalent

The inspiration for these truly macho nachos comes from a diner in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I was served an enormous platter of charcoal grilled steak blanketed with fire-roasted green chiles and sharp cheese. I ate the whole thing. Now, I make the same dish at home, cooking up enough leftovers to enjoy as nachos the next day. But no need to wait for leftovers. These nachos are so tasty, it's worth grilling up a single steak just for the nacho platter.

Ingredients

4 to 5 ounces tortilla chips
1 recipe diced cooked Chile-Rubbed Sirloin Steak (see below)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 8 ounces)
1 cup shredded 4- or 6-Cheese Italian Blend
2 fire-roasted and peeled green chiles (see the book),
or 1/2 cup diced canned roasted green chiles
Avocado Crema to taste (see the book)
Chipotle Mayonnaise to taste (see the book)
Optional garnish: finely sliced lettuce and chopped onion

1. Heat the oven to 475 degrees F., or preheat the broiler, with the rack positioned about 7 inches from the top of the oven or the heat source.

2. Arrange the chips on a 12x18-inch baking sheet or ovenproof platter. Top each chip with a layer of Monterey Jack cheese, followed in order by the chiles, beef, and Italian Blend cheese. Bake 5 to 7 minutes, or broil, until the cheese is soft and bubbly. Before serving, squeeze streaks of Avocado Crema and Chipotle Mayonnaise to taste over the nachos. If desired, garnish with lettuce and onions.

Chile-Rubbed Sirloin

Makes 1 steak

This recipe is scaled for a single steak, which when diced is enough for one tray of nachos. But don't be shy about grilling up several steaks as their own dinner entrée (increasing the recipe ingredients accordingly), and saving enough meat to adorn nachos the following day.

Seasoning Mix (per steak)

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red chiles
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Ingredients

3/4 pound sirloin steak
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce, preferably Kikkoman

1. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the Seasoning Mix. Rub the steak all over with the seasoning mix. Let rest at room temperature 15 minutes.

2. Heat a grill or the broiler until very hot. Rub the steak all over with the olive oil and soy sauce. Grill or broil the steak very close to the heat, about 3 minutes per side, until medium rare. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing or dicing.

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