Thinking Man's Nachos

Makes 4-6 small servings or 2-3 large.

Ingredients:

8 oz yellow corn tortilla chips, two handfuls less than 100 chips, just under one medium-sized bag
3 cups finely-grated Irish cheddar, preferably aged 12-24 months
2 cups finely-grated Oaxaca cheese
4 shallots, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (alternatively, 2-3 teaspoons ground chiptole chile)
ground cayenne pepper, to taste
chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish
1 cup scallion & chive crème fraîche (recipe)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place just under half of the tortillas, tight but barely overlapping, in the center of a tinfoil-lined baking sheet. Top with a little less than half the cheese, shallot, and garlic. Top that with the chopped chipotle chiles. Sprinkle liberally with ground cayenne pepper.

Repeat with about 2/3 of the remaining ingredients, centered on the first layer of chips, so as to create a pyramidal mound.

For the final layer, repeat with the remaining ingredients, about 1/5 of the original amount, centered on the second layer of chips, furthering the pyramid.

Place in oven and bake until bubbling and starting to brown, 7-8 minutes.

Once browning, remove from oven and plate. Top with chopped cilantro and scallion crème fraîche. Serve immediately.

Variation: I have not tried it, but this recipe would undoubtedly be improved, albeit qualitatively changed, by the addition of shredded duck confit. A cup or so is likely sufficient. If you are preparing the confit de canard yourself just for this purpose, add a little cumin to the mix.