Nachos

3/4 pound slab or thick-cut bacon, diced
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
1.5 pounds ground beef, like chuck or sirloin
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons smoked paprika, hot or mild
1.5 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 to 2/3 cup chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium, or water
1 16-ounce bag corn tortilla chips
1/2 head iceberg or romaine lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup pickled jalapenos
2 avocados, pitted and sliced
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1.5 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crumbled Cojita cheese
3 radishes, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced into quarters
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
2 limes, cut into eighths, for garnish
Hot sauce, if desired

PREPARATION

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Put a large saute pan with high sides over medium-high heat and add the bacon.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pieces are crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes, then remove the bacon and set aside.
• Add the onions to the bacon fat and saute, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and started to go brown around the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the ground beef and garlic and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add the chile powder, cumin, salt, paprika, pepper, sugar, cornstarch and red pepper flakes and stir to combine and toast the herbs.
• Add enough chicken stock or water to loosen the mixture, and allow it to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. (Add a little more stock or water if mixture is too thick.)
• Assemble the nachos on a half sheet pan.
• Put a layer of tortilla chips on the pan and cover with about 1/3 of the meat sauce, then add about 1/3 of the lettuce, 1/3 of the jalapenos, some avocado slices and a handful of the Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses.
• Top with more tortilla chips, more meat sauce, more lettuce, jalapenos, avocado and cheese, then make a final layer of chips, meat, jalapenos and cheese.
• Top with crumbled Cojita cheese and slide the sheet pan into the oven to bake until the cheeses have melted through, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Top cooked nachos with the sliced radishes and tomatoes, and dot the tray with teaspoons of sour cream.
• Scatter the cilantro over the top and serve, accompanied by limes and hot sauce.