Ingredients

… for the taco meat:

• 250g minced beef (1/2lb)
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 tsp tomato paste
• 1.5 tsp taco seasoning (smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt)
• 1/2 tsp oil for frying

… for the simple cheese sauce:

• 1 tbsp oil (for roux)
• 1 tbsp flour (for roux)
• 8 individually wrapped cheddar cheese slice (the fake cheese kind, it has an ideal melting point and texture for nachos cheese)
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup milk (110 to 180ml)

… for the base:

• 1 bag of plain tortilla chips (200g | 7oz)

… for the toppings (adjust selection and quantities to taste):

• Sweetcorn
• 1 tomato (diced)
• 1/4 red onions (diced)
• 1/2 avocado (diced)
• 1/4 lime (optional – juice used to avoid browning on avocado)
• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
• Fresh coriander

Method

To make the taco meat

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high to high heat.
2. Add the mince, break appart with a spatula and brown. Be careful to not overcrowd the pan it will boil your mince and you will end up with a grey mix. Don’t over-stir, let the mince develop a good brown colour before turning. Brown in batches if needed.
3. Meanwhile fine dice the onion.
4. Strain meat and save in a bowl for later. Discard any excess fat but keep about a tablespoon in the pan.
5. Add onion to the pan and sauté on medium heat in the mince fat until translucide (about 5min).
6. Add tomato paste and cook for 2min.
7. Add taco seasoning and cook for 5sc.
8. Add mince meat back to the pan and fry together until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cook longer if you wish for a crispier meat.

To makes the nacho cheese

1. Make a roux by heating the oil and flour in a pan over medium heat. Toast for 2min to get rid of raw flour taste.
2. Whisk the milk in little by little. You will see the mixture clunk up at first. No need to worry it is part of the process. Whisk, add more milk, whisk again to remove any lumps, add more milk, etc. Continue until you reach desired consistency (aka nacho cheese consistency). The mixture should be loose but have some body to it.
3. Add cheese slices one at a time and whisk to combine. Taste and add salt of needed.
4. If your sauce is too thin keep it on the heat, whisking every so often to avoid burn the bottom, until you reach desired consistency.
5. If your sauce is too thick add more milk (or water if you have run out, or even juice from the pickled jalapeno) to thin.

Toasting the tortilla chips

1. Pre-heat oven at 180C for a convection oven (350F)
2. Lay chips in an oven layer on oven tray
3. Bake for 5 minutes

Assembling

1. Top chips with melted cheese – try to get a good coverage
2. Add the rest of the toppings