Old Style Enchiladas

These aren’t rolled enchiladas. They’re stacked, New Mexico style, like a savory layer cake. Fried corn tortillas alternate with a beefy chili-bean sauce, raw chopped onion, and grated cheese, built as tall as you want them.

The sauce is more chili than enchilada. Ground beef browns with onion, then crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, and a generous four tablespoons of chili powder simmer together into a thick, spiced meat sauce. A touch of sugar rounds out the acidity from the tomatoes.

Frying the tortillas briefly in oil softens them and adds flavor without making them greasy. Drain them on paper towels and keep them pliable. Crispy tortillas crack and the stack falls apart.

Kitchen Tips

• Fry the tortillas just until soft and flexible, not crispy. They should bend easily when you lift them from the oil
• Use one onion for the sauce and keep the second one raw for layering. The raw onion adds a sharp crunch that contrasts with everything else
• Build on oven-safe plates if you want to melt the top layer of cheese under the broiler for a minute
• Let each stack sit for a couple minutes after building so the sauce soaks into the tortillas and everything holds together when you cut in

Variations

• Flat enchilada casserole: Layer everything in a baking dish instead of individual stacks and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes
• Turkey or chicken: Swap ground beef for shredded rotisserie chicken or ground turkey
• Green chile version: Replace the tomatoes and chili powder with green enchilada sauce for a New Mexico green chile stack