Cheese is the star of this show! It looks so scrumptious melting on the stove, we thought about skipping the part where it gets bubbly in the oven and going straight for the chips. And yet, the real beauty of this dish is all the interesting stuff going on below the cheese — every bite is full of chewy, spicy chorizo, crunchy Anaheim peppers, and tangy onion.

Corn tortilla chips are the classic vehicle for queso, and we like to go with one that’s really thick and crisp, like Arboleda Chicas. There’s a reason they won Best Scooper in our tortilla chip taste test! That said, queso also tastes amazing wrapped up in a flour tortilla — it’s like a super fancy quesadilla.

Our tip: Queso is the perfect snack for a last-minute Friday happy hour situation. It comes together in about 20 minutes, and perhaps more importantly, it pairs remarkably well with beer. A crisp, clean Modelo Especial will cut right through all that gloriously salty cheese and leave your palate ready for the next bite!

Ingredients

4 oz Gelson’s chorizo, ground (or So Good Organic Soy Chorizo)
1 small onion, minced
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and cut into long strips
2 cups Tillamook shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups Tillamook sharp white cheddar, shredded
½ tsp salt
½ cup heavy cream
Cilantro, chopped
Radishes, sliced
Corn tortilla chips for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º.
2. In an 8-inch cast-iron pan, break up the chorizo and cook it over medium heat until brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl and leave the drippings in the pan.
3. In the same pan, sauté the onions and peppers in the chorizo drippings until it’s tender.
4. Add the chorizo to the pan and top it with the shredded cheeses, salt, and heavy cream. Give the dish a quick stir and place it in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the cheese begins to bubble and brown.
5. Top with cilantro and radishes, and serve warm with tortilla chips!
   

Recipe source: Tillamook Cheese