05 August, 2010

Potato Nachos

Mmmmmm nachos, how I love thee?
Let me count the ways, and the calories.
For the last movie night in my house we decided to make nachos for dinner. But I had to figure out a way to make them more of a meal and less of a mess. I needed them to be more nutritionally sound than processed cheese sauce on top of stale chips. I replaced the chips with crispy potatoes and added corn and beans. And let’s just say, they didn’t last the whole movie.

*Just a little note about the yellow potatoes called yukon gold that I used in this dish. Yellow potatoes have less starch and will crisp up better than a russet or white potato. The yellow potato gets its color from a chemical called anthoxanthins which is a pigment loaded with antioxidants. So the yellow potato has less carbohydrate and more antioxidants. So stop hating on the potato!

Serves 3-4 as a meal
4-6 Yukon gold potatoes*
Fresh or frozen corn
8oz canned black beans
½ tablespoon cumin
Juice of ½ lime
Shredded cheese of your choice
Pico de gallo
 




Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Cut your potatoes into 3/4 inch thick slices and toss them with olive oil. Layer onto a baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes, flip the potatoes and cook for another 20 minutes. You will want them pretty crispy and cooking time will vary according to your oven and your preference.

While the potatoes are cooking, drain and rinse the black beans. Mix the beans with ½ tablespoon cumin, the juice of ½ of lime and set aside. Toss the corn with olive oil and put in a saute pan on medium heat for about 5 minutes. When the potatoes are out of the oven you can toss the corn under the broiler for about 3 minutes to add some browning. Layer the potatoes in a casserole dish, top with cheese, beans and corn and put the dish back into the oven until the cheese is melted. Serve topped with pico de gallo and press play on the movie.