Article and photo by Lisa Crockett
A few weeks ago, my kids and I stepped into the kitchen to try something
new. Chipotle, the fast-casual restaurant chain that has popularized
fresh and wholesome Mexican food, recently released the recipe for its
signature guacamole.
According to the Chipotle website, a single batch of guacamole for the
restaurant calls for 48 avocados. After making the home version – which
calls for just 2 avocados – I wondered if perhaps we needed to make a
restaurant-sized batch, since the guacamole was gone mere seconds after
it was mixed, leaving the family hankering for more.
Fresh and light, the recipe embodies the quintessential flavor of
summer; the creamy avocado perfectly balanced by the tartness of the
lime juice and the pleasant spiciness of the jalapeño and red onion. At
just 230 calories for a four-ounce serving, this treat can substitute
for a delicious dessert and you can feel good about the ingredients.
Our original batch of guacamole was accompanied by a newly-opened bag of
chips from the grocery store. But making something so tasty from
scratch and then mingling it with something so processed seemed wrong,
so for the next round (which we whipped up just a few days later), I
made a quick batch of oven “fried” chips. Fresh and hearty, their
crunch was a perfect complement to the soft richness of the guacamole.
Deep fried chips are, of course, more consistent with what you would get
at the restaurant, but I think deep frying is best left to the
professionals. It is tasty but also pretty messy and high in calories,
so I do not do it at home.
After trying to make chips at home several different ways, this method
produced the results I liked best. While the chips you get are not
quite as light as deep fried, the chips are yummy and sturdy enough to
hold an impressive amount of dip. Much as I would love a version that
uses less oil than this one, tortillas baked dry produce results that
are gummy, tough and generally unappealing; a generous amount of oil is
necessary to crisp the chips. It is also important to sprinkle the
chips with salt (I like kosher salt) as soon as they come out of the
oven, since the salt adheres to the chips better when they are warm.
After a little trial and error, I also determined that for best results,
chips should be turned during the bake time to ensure that one side
does not remain soggy while the top browns and crisps. I use olive oil
in the recipe because I think it tastes best, but regular vegetable oil
would work fine, too.
I think these chips are best eaten soon after they are cooled, but they
can be made up to a day ahead. However, if your house is anything like
mine, your chips will not last an hour, much less 24. Especially if you
make a fresh batch of creamy guacamole to go with it.
For Chipotle’s official guacamole recipe, visit www.chipotle.com/guac-recipe.
– Olive oil
– Corn tortillas
– Kosher or sea salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour three to four tablespoons of oil into a
rimmed baking sheet and spread oil evenly to coat the entire bottom of
the pan. Using a pastry brush, coat tortillas evenly with olive oil,
stacking tortillas eight to ten tortillas high. Using a knife or pizza
cutter, cut the entire stack of tortillas into wedges. Place tortillas
in a single layer on the pan. Tortillas will shrink as they bake, so
they can overlap slightly, but do not stack them directly on top of each
other or chips will not crisp properly.
Bake chips for 10 minutes, then use tongs to turn them. Put chips back
in the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or until chips are lightly
browned around the edges. Remove chips from the oven and immediately
sprinkle with kosher or sea salt to taste. Allow chips to cool before
serving.