Red Chile Beef Enchiladas
4 to 5 servings
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 5 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
Ingredients:
Red Enchilada Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion (peeled, small dice)
2 cloves garlic (peeled, minced)
18-20 dried New Mexican red chiles (stemmed, seeded)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1 dried bay leaf
1-2 tablespoons honey (to taste)
1 and 1/2 cups water (plus extra if necessary)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
Ground Beef:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion (peeled, small dice)
1 clove garlic (peeled, minced)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 pound ground beef (80/20)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
To Assemble:
cooking spray
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 package (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 recipe Red Enchilada Sauce
1 recipe Ground Beef
3/4 cup mild cheddar cheese
3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese
1 bunch scallions (root ends trimmed, light green and white parts only, thinly sliced on bias, to garnish)
1 recipe Lime sour cream (to serve)
Lime Sour Cream:
1 cup sour cream
1 lime (zested, juiced)
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
Directions:
For the Red Enchilada Sauce:
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until golden brown and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chiles and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add oregano and bay leaf and continue to simmer until the chiles are soft, about 25-35 minutes. Drain chile mixture and discard cooking liquid and bay leaf.
In the carafe of a blender, add drained chile mixture, honey, and 1-1/2 cups of water. Blend until smooth, adding more water until mixture is a medium sauce-like consistency. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a medium sauce pan over low heat to keep warm.
For the Ground Beef:
In a medium saute pan over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cumin, and cook until golden brown and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beef and using the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher, break up beef until browned, about 7-9 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, drain any excess fat, and set aside.
To Assemble:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a plate with paper towels and set aside. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a small saute pan over medium heat, warm vegetable oil. Using tongs and working with one at a time, dip tortilla into oil and flip halfway through, until soft, about 5-7 seconds per side. Transfer to prepared plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been lightly fried.
Working with one at a time, dip tortilla into red sauce, allowing any excess to drip off. On a clean workspace, lay tortilla flat and add 2 heaping tablespoons of prepared beef mixture down the center of the tortilla, roll it into a small tube and place seam side down into prepared baking dish. Repeat until all tortillas are filled or the baking dish is full.
Ladle the prepared red sauce over the top and sprinkle with the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Transfer to oven and bake until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling, about 20-25 minutes.
Remove from heat, garnish with scallions and serve with lime sour cream.
For the Lime Sour Cream:
In a small bowl, add sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
Tip: Crunched for time? Substitute the ground beef with shredded rotisserie chicken meat, for a time saving solution!
