Nachos for dinner Surprising sheet pan meals the whole family will love

In this crowd-pleaser, Whalen (S'mores!), creator of the blog The Food in my Beard, gives "readers permission to eat a plate of nachos as a real meal" in the form of satisfying sheet-pan dinners. He opens by establishing the "Three Pillars of Nacho": for the "crispy base," he starts with homemade tortilla chips; for the "melty layer," he goes with a nacho cheese sauce; and to finish things off, he leans on pico de gallo as a "flavorful topper." Following that are a number of fun and creative toppings--including a fresh peach habanero salsa, red curry chickpeas, and chili-lime grilled chicken--which feature later in such sheet-pan recipes as Cobb salad nachos, plantain nachos with carnitas and black beans, and breakfast nachos ("a riff that is straight-up bacon and eggs on chips"). Equally enticing are his "nachofied" twists on international fare, such as scallion pancake nachos and chicken tikka masala "naanchos," which uses crispy naan in place of chips. Just when readers think they've seen and tasted it all, Whelan dives into desserts, using unbaked pie crusts to create apple pie nachos and cinnamon sugar--dusted tortilla chips to create "Churrochos." This innovative take will inspire home cooks to turn a classic snack into a reliable dinner. (Dec.)