Chili Cheese Nachos!

Chili crisp cheese sauce and pepperoni on nachos? Yes please. Best of all, if you're making these for the Super Bowl, they can be prepared ahead, and thrown together in a few minutes at half time.

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 50g/3tbsp butter
• 50g/6tbsp flour
• 600ml/2 cups Milk
• 150g sharp cheddar - grated
• 1 Kraft Single (optional)
• 1 bag of tortilla chips
• 1 jalapeno (or a handful of jarred jalapenos)
• ½ a red onion
• 130ml white vinegar
• 70ml water
• ½ tsp each sugar and salt
• 4 tbsp Hakka-ish Chili Crisp
• 100g pepperoni

Method:

1. First, make the quick pickles. Slice the onion and jalapeno, combine and place in a jar. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil, pour over the veggies, close the lid, and you’ve just made quick pickles. 
2. Next, make the bechamel sauce. To make a roux, melt the butter over a medium heat, and add the flour. Stir constantly until it turns a blond-ish, sandy colour. This is called a blonde roux, the base of a bechamel. Turn the heat up to the highest, and start adding the milk, 50ml at a time to start. Whisk it to avoid lumps, and when the mix is smooth, add more liquid. Doing it in batches ensures a smooth sauce.
3. When all the milk is incorporated, turn the heat to low, and cook for 3-4 minutes, whisking every 30 seconds or so.  Remove the sauce from the heat, and add ⅔ of the cheddar, plus your fancy Kraft Single, and ½ of the Hakka-ish. There’s enough heat in the sauce and pan to melt the cheese, don’t be tempted to put it back on the heat. Boiling the sauce at this stage will split the cheese. Taste it, and add salt if needed. 
4. When you’re ready to eat, gently heat the cheese sauce over a low heat to loosen it up, and turn your broiler to medium. Place the chips on a tray. Since they’re not stacked high, you won’t need to layer the ingredients. Pour over the cheese sauce, then add the pickled vegetables, then the remaining cheddar, and finally, the pepperoni. 
5. Place under the broiler on the middle shelf until the cheese is melted, and pepperoni has gone a little crispy around the edges. 

Notes: The pickles and cheese sauce can be made the day before and kept in the fridge, and it will only take 10 minutes to throw together on game day. The Kraft Single adds a great mouthfeel, but feel free to omit it if it’s not your style. 

Make it vegan: Replace the milk with soy or almond milk, sub cooking oil in for butter, and add your favourite vegan cheese and pepperoni, or just leave out the pepperoni.