Star-Spangled Nachos

Red, white, and blue, done the only honest way: real food, no dye. Deep blue corn chips, fire-roasted carne, a bold drizzle of SoCal Original Red, and cool white crema you ribbon over the top.

Stack it, melt it, pile it high. It is the most American thing you can make that still tastes like California: a Fourth of July cookout platter built for America's 250th.

Ingredients

White crema

• ½ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
• Juice of ½ lime
• Pinch of salt

Nachos

• 1 large bag blue corn tortilla chips
• 1 lb cooked carne asada or seasoned ground beef (or black beans to keep it vegetarian)
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack

To finish

• ⅓ to ½ cup SoCal Original Red, for drizzling
• ½ cup crumbled cotija
• ¼ cup pickled red onion
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Lime wedges
• Optional: sliced jalapeño or halved cherry tomatoes for extra red

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Spread the blue corn chips in an even layer on a sheet pan.
2. Scatter the carne and Monterey Jack over the chips. Bake 4 to 6 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
3. Whisk the white crema. Stir together the Mexican crema, lime juice, and a pinch of salt until smooth and pourable.
4. Drizzle SoCal Original Red in bold red stripes across the hot nachos.
5. Ribbon the white crema over the top, red and white against the blue chips.
6. Finish with cotija, pickled red onion, and cilantro. Serve right away with lime wedges, ideally under fireworks.

Tips

The colors are real: blue corn, red sauce, white crema. No food dye required.

Keep the chips in a single layer so every one gets cheese. Two thin pans beat one tall pile.

Add the sauce and crema right before serving so the chips stay crisp.