Food Network Magazine (November 2012)
When we had guests over for Fakesgiving, we began the meal by welcoming everyone and explaining the menu.
As we walked through all 20 of the dishes, there were many oohs and aahs, but only one dish received an enthusiastic round of applause: this Tortilla Chip Chorizo Stuffing.
You see, at Fakesgiving, we try to cook both what sounds amazing, but also dishes that seem a little out there. Dishes that firmly fall in the “out there” category from previous years? Tandoori Turkey (a hit!). Tomato and Olive Stuffing (also a hit!). Red Cabbage Gratin (a huge miss).
Food Network Magazine rose to the “out there” challenge with their feature about unusual side dishes, which includes this recipe.
Have you ever been eating stuffing and thought, "Wow, I wish this tasted like nachos?"
If so, this is the dish for you.
It is entirely distinct. We've never had a stuffing that remotely resembled this. Yes, it includes a bag of tortilla chips, an ample amount of chorizo (the cured, dry Spanish-style variety) and queso fresco. Of all these ingredients, we had the most trouble with the queso fresco, because it doesn't melt in the stuffing. It softens but largely retains its shape, so there isn't cheesiness infused throughout the dish, which we thought might help improve it. That, and there still seemed to be an awful lot of bread in the dish. We might scale down the bread so that the other ingredients shine more.
This isn't a bad dish at all. The components all taste great. While nobody loved it, guests eagerly tried it.
Perhaps Zach’s mom summed it best: “I would love to eat that again, but never at Thanksgiving.”
Related posts:
- The top Thanksgiving trends for 2012
- Thanksgiving Recipe Index: Every dish recommended by food magazines this year
Tortilla Chip Chorizo Stuffing
Food Network Magazine (November 2012)
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(This photo: Kana Okada/Food Network Magazine)
Prep: 25 min | Total Time: 1 hr 25 min
Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish12 ounces dried chorizo, chopped
4 bunches scallions, chopped
4 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles, drained
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 cups low-sodium turkey or chicken broth
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 13-ounce bag corn tortilla chips, coarsely crushed
8 cups stale white bread cubes
2 cups cubed queso fresco cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish. Melt 8 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the chorizo, scallions, chiles and cumin and cook, stirring, until the chorizo is slightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer.
Whisk the eggs and cilantro in a large bowl. Add the tortilla chips, bread and cheese and season with salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the chorizo-broth mixture and toss to combine.
Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish; dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until golden, about 30 more minutes.
Chef's Note: If you're using fresh bread, dry the cubes in a 300 degrees F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
