11370 Cheesy Enchiladas 1 hr 25 mins 50 mins 24 enchiladas Fri Jan 04 15:18:00 -0800 2008 Tue Oct 27 15:16:52 -0700 2009 Medium American CHOW http://www.chow.com/recipes/11370 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:16:52 GMT Loaded with cheese and chile gravy Loaded with cheese and chile gravy. Enchiladas are made in both Mexico and the States, but their similarity stops at their name and the fact that they’re rolled tortillas filled with stuff. While Mexican enchiladas are made by dipping the tortillas in sauce, frying them, and filling them only with meat, the Tex-Mex versions are filled with cheese or meat and topped with lots more sauce (a.k.a. gravy) and cheese. This recipe was a big hit here at CHOW: Every time we made it the staff ate it up in a matter of minutes.

Game plan: If 24 enchiladas are too many for you to consume at once, just save some for later. Make the enchiladas through step 3, then cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. At this point, they can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks. To finish, heat the oven to 350°F, uncover and place in the oven while still cold or frozen, and bake until cheese is melted and centers are warm, about 20 minutes for the refrigerated enchiladas or 40 minutes if frozen.

This recipe was featured as part of our Super Bowl for a Crowd story.

]]>
  • Heat oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Evenly coat the bottom of 2 (13-by-9-inch) baking dishes with 1 cup of the gravy each. Mix cheeses together in a large bowl until evenly combined, and line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside.
  • Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, about 5 minutes. Test oil temperature by carefully dipping the edge of a tortilla in the oil—it should bubble vigorously. Once oil is hot, use a metal spatula to carefully submerge tortillas one at a time until bubbles form around each, about 5 to 10 seconds. Flip and fry an additional 5 seconds, or until edges of tortilla are slightly crisp but not browned. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Repeat with remaining tortillas, separating layers with paper towels.
  • Blot tortillas with paper towels to soak up any excess oil, then fill each with 2 heaping tablespoons cheese mixture and 2 teaspoons onion. Roll to enclose filling and set tortillas in the baking dishes, seam side down, placing 12 enchiladas in each dish. Evenly distribute remaining 1 cup gravy over both baking dishes and top with remaining 2 1/2 cups cheese.
  • Bake until hot and bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

    • Beverage pairing: Pyramid Hefeweizen, California. A light, bright wheat beer such as this will help heavy Tex-Mex like these enchiladas go down more easily and sit more comfortably once you’ve eaten. The beer isn’t going to be a major force, taste-wise, but its buoyancy and texture are perfect.

    ]]>     http://www.chow.com/assets/2008/01/enchiladas290.jpg Adela Jung 50 Main Chile Gravy**

    ]]>     3 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 10 ounces)

    ]]>     3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 10 ounces)

    ]]>     1 cup vegetable oil

    ]]>     24 (6-inch) corn tortillas**

    ]]>     1 cup finely chopped white onion (about 1/2 medium onion)**

    ]]>     13002 adela jung 1 chow 4134 super bowl 435 vegetarian 13790 grub 758 guilty pleasure 4400 tex mex 256 cheese 1619 omnivore 755 travels well 156 bake 776 fun 273 party 4087 superbowl 2747 make ahead 26633 chow main