Flightline Nachos

The first time I landed at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, locals took us to a restaurant serving massive sheet-pan nachos—unlike anything on the East Coast. I’ve since tweaked the recipe, adding more cheeses, homemade fried tortillas, refried beans, and fresh avocado. Grilled corn pairs perfectly.

Ingredients
5-6 yellow corn tortillas (6-Inch)
8 oz Rosarita spicy jalapeno refried beans (or similar)
2 medium avocados
1 large jalapeno sliced cored and chopped
8 oz fresh chorizo
1.5 oz cheddar cheese grated
1.5 oz pepper jack cheese grated
1.5 oz Cotija cheese crumbled
1 lime halved
Cilantro for garnish
Peanut oil (enough for about ½ inch in the pan)

Cut the tortillas into quarters, then heat about ½ inch peanut oil in a cast iron or similar skillet (we use a 9.5 inch for this) to between 375 and 400 °F. Drop in a few tortilla pieces and flip once while cooking, this does not take long so don’t let them burn! Pull from the oil and place on rack set in a large sheet pan.
Drop the chorizo into a pan at medium low heat and allow it to cook down, moving it around often, for about 8 minutes then turn off the heat. While the chorizo is cooking cut the avocados into 4 sections longways, peel and remove the seed. Place four pieces in the center of each plate and cover with lime juice, then salt and pepper to taste.
Turn the broiler on to “HI”. Remove the tortilla pieces from the rack and place on the sheet pan, then cover each piece with refried beans, followed by the chorizo, jalapeno, and the three cheeses, then place under the broiler for about 90 seconds until the cheese melts. Place them on the plates around the avocado and garnish with cilantro.