Background: The first time I flew into MCAS Yuma Arizona, some of the guys stationed there took our group out to a restaurant that made sheet pans of nachos, and we all loved it, nothing like back on the East Coast. Over the years this concept has changed a bit including using more types of cheese, fried tortillas (homemade if possible), refried beans, and of course fresh avocado on the side. Grilled corn is excellent with this dish.

Ingredients: 5-6 yellow corn (6-inch corn tortillas); 8 oz Rosarita Spicy Jalapeno refried beans (or similar); 1 large jalapeno sliced cored and chopped; 8 oz fresh chorizo; 1.5 oz cheddar cheese grated; 1.5oz pepper jack cheese grated; 1.5 oz cotija cheese crumbled; c1 large avocado; 1 lime; cilantro for garnish; peanut oil (enough for about ½ inch in the pan)

Steps: 

  1. Cut the tortillas into quarters, the neat 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 a rack set in a large sheet pan. 
  2. Drop the chorizo into a pan at medium low heat and allow to cook down, moving it around often, for about 8 minutes then turn off the heat. While the chorizo is cooking, cut the avocado into 4 sections longways, peel and remove the seed. Place 2 pieces in the center of each plate and cover with lime juice, the salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Turn the broiler on to “high”. 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.