The other day I made Shepherd's Pie w/ Venison & Gruyère Aligot. One of my favorite ways to utilize leftovers is to make nachos or burritos. This week I did both with Venison Shepherd's Pie Nachos and Venison Shepherd's Pie Burritos. Both of these are a great way to mix things up and make sure that you're not eating the exact same thing every day. I like nachos and burritos because it adds a different culinary inspiration. A lot of the time I'll add sour cream, Greek yogurt, or Avocado Dip on top with a dash of hot sauce. Although you can easily mix and match your own favorite dips and seasonings. Any number of cheeses, salsas, and hot sauces are a great addition to any leftovers meal.
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Variations of Venison Nachos
I'll turn anything and everything into nachos. It's one of my favorite ways to utilize whatever I have sitting in the refrigerator. I'll add in anything from rice and beans to spinach dip and avocados or chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Really, there aren't many ingredients I've regretted putting on tortilla chips and dousing in cheese. It's almost a universal food that pairs with just about any flavor combination, if you find the right cheese and hot sauce combination.
This Shepherd's Pie w/ Venison & Gruyère Aligot recipe requires a large bowl, large pot, skillet, stovetop, and paper towels. It takes about a half hour to toss together, most of which is spent cooking the vermicelli and frying tofu. As the rest of the salad is raw and simply mixed together.
I also topped this burrito with Potluck Avocado Dip w/ Pecans & Jalapeños.This is entirely optional. You can easily substitute sour cream or omit it entirely. Although this avocado dip is my new favorite thing and I highly recommend giving it a try. It's kind of a mix between hummus and guacamole. And is absolutely delicious!
Cook Nachos
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, lay out tortilla chips across a baking sheet.Cover until you can't see the baking sheet any longer. They should be touching, but not overlapping too much. You really just want to be able to add toppings to every chip without it getting too much on the baking sheet!Exactly how much chips you use is largely a matter of personal preference as well. I've never sat there carefully measuring chips! Roughly two handfuls usually equates to about a serving. I tend to cook far more than I actually need, though. So, as always, adjust to personal preference!
Spread toppings evenly across the tortilla chips.This acts largely like refried beans would in a typical nacho recipe. You can either spread across each of the chips or just drop little dollops across the chips.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the chips begin to toast.
Serve
Once the nachos are done cooking, remove from the oven and top with avocado dip, hot sauce, and a dash of salt and pepper.
Serve immediately. Once the nachos begin to cool down, the tortilla chips will absorb too much moisture and soften. Once this happens, there isn't a lot that you can do to crisp them up again!
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
For a more in-depth article on nachos, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Nachos. I make suggestions on settling the microwave vs. oven debate and give suggestions on serving size, topping order, and potential reheating tips and tricks.
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