Course
Small Bites
Duration
4 hours
Serves
2
A platter of nachos is a meal all on its own when you load up with cheese, beans, meat and fresh veggies. This dish isn’t bound by any single season or setting: serve it in the summer on your patio or in the fall before a football game.
This nachos recipe is topped with tender Canada goose meat and Cotija cheese. I don’t consider the Cotija optional, as it adds a bit of salt and funk that makes this meal unique. Having cold beer on hand isn’t optional, either.
I recommend cooking the goose legs beforehand, storing them in the fridge and pulling everything together when you’re ready. Braising the meat requires very little active cooking, but still, no one wants to wait 3 hours for nachos.
Ingredients
Meat
- 2 large Canada goose legs and thighs, skin on
- Half an onion, cut into four pieces
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus extra
- 2 cans of Mexican lager
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. each cumin, coriander and onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Nacho Toppings
- 12 ounces shredded Mexican blend of cheeses
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 16 ounces refried beans, warmed
- Half an onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup diced tomato
- 1 to 2 avocados, diced
- 1-2 fresh jalapeños, thinly sliced or sliced pickled jalapeños
- Crumbled Cotija cheese, to taste
- 9 ounces of tortilla chips
- Other toppings: hot sauce, salsa, sour cream
Preparation
- Cover the Canada goose legs and thighs with salt and place them into a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the onion pieces, garlic, bay leaf and chipotle pepper before submerging the meat in beer. Bring to a boil, and then back down to a simmer. Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours, or until the meat is tender. Add more beer or water as necessary. This recipe also works with a crockpot, and can be done overnight or while at work.
- When the goose is tender, pull the meat and skin off the bones and shred into smaller pieces. Discard the cooking liquid. Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil in a pan and sauté goose meat with cumin, coriander, onion powder and garlic powder until it’s slightly toasted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a chopped chipotle pepper for extra spiciness.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil or spray a 12-inch cast iron pan. Evenly spread a layer of tortilla chips in the pan (only allow for a little overlapping). Add small dollops of warmed refried beans, a generous amount of Mexican cheese, chopped onion and goose meat. Spread another layer of tortilla chips on top, and continue building layers until you run out of beans, meat, onion and cheese. Bake the nachos until the cheese is melted, or about 5-10 minutes.
- Serve the nachos while still hot with cilantro, avocado, diced tomato, sliced jalapeño and crumbled Cotija cheese.
A platter of nachos is a meal all on its own when you load up with cheese, beans, meat and fresh veggies. This dish isn’t bound by any single season or setting: serve it in the summer on your patio or in the fall before a football game.
This nachos recipe is topped with tender Canada goose meat and Cotija cheese. I don’t consider the Cotija optional, as it adds a bit of salt and funk that makes this meal unique. Having cold beer on hand isn’t optional, either.
I recommend cooking the goose legs beforehand, storing them in the fridge and pulling everything together when you’re ready. Braising the meat requires very little active cooking, but still, no one wants to wait 3 hours for nachos.
Ingredients
Meat
- 2 large Canada goose legs and thighs, skin on
- Half an onion, cut into four pieces
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus extra
- 2 cans of Mexican lager
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. each cumin, coriander and onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Nacho Toppings
- 12 ounces shredded Mexican blend of cheeses
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 16 ounces refried beans, warmed
- Half an onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup diced tomato
- 1 to 2 avocados, diced
- 1-2 fresh jalapeños, thinly sliced or sliced pickled jalapeños
- Crumbled Cotija cheese, to taste
- 9 ounces of tortilla chips
- Other toppings: hot sauce, salsa, sour cream
Preparation
- Cover the Canada goose legs and thighs with salt and place them into a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the onion pieces, garlic, bay leaf and chipotle pepper before submerging the meat in beer. Bring to a boil, and then back down to a simmer. Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours, or until the meat is tender. Add more beer or water as necessary. This recipe also works with a crockpot, and can be done overnight or while at work.
- When the goose is tender, pull the meat and skin off the bones and shred into smaller pieces. Discard the cooking liquid. Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil in a pan and sauté goose meat with cumin, coriander, onion powder and garlic powder until it’s slightly toasted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a chopped chipotle pepper for extra spiciness.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil or spray a 12-inch cast iron pan. Evenly spread a layer of tortilla chips in the pan (only allow for a little overlapping). Add small dollops of warmed refried beans, a generous amount of Mexican cheese, chopped onion and goose meat. Spread another layer of tortilla chips on top, and continue building layers until you run out of beans, meat, onion and cheese. Bake the nachos until the cheese is melted, or about 5-10 minutes.
- Serve the nachos while still hot with cilantro, avocado, diced tomato, sliced jalapeño and crumbled Cotija cheese.