Frito Pie

This holiday season I have been eating like I was part of the court of Henry the 8th. A Champagne party with about a dozen sparkling wines, including a 1996 vintage Dom Perignon. I brined and Hickory smoked a turkery for that party and the accompaning food was killer....Sushi, Smoked Turkey, Portugese Pork Roast, House Cured Olives, Spiced Pecans, a killer Charcuterie tray...Oh, but I digress.

So, what am I cooking in lieu of an 18 lb. Prime Rib (I should have taken photos)?

I am taking the high brow/low brow approach and pulling out that white trash favorite know as "Frito Pie". I grew up with the "Frito Banditio" (wasn't advertising so much simpler in those days?) and these chips used to be part of my school boy sack lunches.

I have to confess though, as rural and middle class as I grew up in Southern Idaho, even my Mom didn't put this mess on the table.

At the base level this recipe is merely Frito chips with Chili with beans (from a can of course) and a little cheese sprinkled on top (served in the bag is even better).

My version is a little sexier. I seasoned ground beef with cumin, chili powder, cayenne, black pepper and kosher salt then added the beef to some molten hot refried beans. I layered that unsightly mixture with the chips and then added a garnish of sour cream (yeah, like this dish needs more fat ), cilantro, sharp Tillamook cheddar, jalapeno, red onion and cherry tomatoes (from who knows where this time of year). Anyone who knows me knows that I hate processed food and as horrific as this mish-mash sounds, it tastes great. I don't know what they put into these chips but I had a second serving and was craving a third before I had to pull a Roberto Duran and say- "No mas" .

Frito Pie