Longest Yard Enchilada

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These tasty enchiladas were a Fiesta Bowl experiment. I made 24 for a party of 12 with tons of other offerings and when the game ended wished I had made 48. I’ll give the recipe as I prepared it, for 24 enchiladas and if you have more than 10 show up at your pad for the Superbowl ~ for sure double the recipe and go with the 48. The cool thing about it is you can do all the prep and assembly in the morning, cover and refrigerate, then slide them into the oven 20 minutes or so before serving.

Ready in: 1 hour

Ingredients

Makes: 24 enchilada’s

• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (24 count) package corn tortillas
• 2 (15 ounce) cans enchilada sauce
• 1 cup vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion

Preparation method

Prep: 40 mins | Cook: 20 mins

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Begin by shredding the 3 kinds of cheese, unless you choose to buy the preshredded stuff. Just remember the preshredded comes coated in corn starch which effects over all consistency when melted, not to mention the taste.

2. Lightly brown the ground beef in a skillet on medium heat, seasoning with the cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. Drain.

3. Heat vegetable oil in small skillet over medium heat. In a saucepan on the burner nearest the oil, heat the enchilada sauce over medium low heat.

4. Pour a small amount of heated enchilada sauce in two 9X13 glass pans, just enough to coat the bottom and keep the enchiladas from sticking. Using tongs, fry each tortilla individually in the oil for a maximum of 8 seconds per side. All we want to do here is make the tortilla flexible.

5. Remove the tortilla and hold over pan to drain. When oil quits running off, dip tortilla into sauce only enough to coat and place in a stack in coated pan. I worked 6 at a time and it went pretty well that way.

6. Spoon a little beef across the middle of the tortilla and a small amount of cheese. Roll the tortilla up and line up longwise into the pan. Repeat until all tortillas and ground beef are used. I got 2 rows of 6 enchiladas in each pan.

7. Sprinkle chopped onion and jalapeno across tops of enchiladas, then spread the 3 kinds of shredded cheese over the tops of the onions and peppers.

8. Cover with foil and either refrigerate for up to 24 hours, or slide directly into preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted.

9. Goes absolutely wonderful with a freshly made pico de gallo or spoon of sour cream.Substitution

You can use cooked shredded chicken or shredded pork, maybe even some shrimp!