Cheese Enchiladas (Gourmet Guy)

Cheese and Onion Enchiladas

Gourmet Guy here. The key to this recipe is the sauce! We've made enchiladas at home with canned sauce before and they are never anything like what you get in a good Mexican restaurant. These are different and it is all about the sauce!

Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons lard, bacon drippings or olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano, crumbled
2 tablespoons flour
¼ cup pure red chile powder (not cayenne)
2 cups chicken stock or water
salt to taste (3/4 teaspoon)

Instructions:
Heat fat in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté briefly, then stir in cumin and oregano. Sprinkle in flour and cook for a minute or two. Stir in chili powder and immediately add the stock or water, stirring to break up any lumps. Continue stirring until the sauce nearly comes to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about two minutes so flavors blend. Season well with salt. Remove from heat.

To assemble the enchiladas, coat the bottom of a 9 X 9 baking dish with the sauce. Working one at a time, spread about a teaspoon of sauce on each of six corn tortillas. Microwave each tortilla about 10 seconds to soften, place a generous amount of grated cheese in center of warmed tortilla, add chopped onion to taste (I like lots of onion), and roll enchilada. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining enchiladas. Pour remaining sauce evenly over the enchiladas, top with grated cheese and sprinkle a few more onions on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Serve with Spanish rice and beans. Top with guacamole and sour cream if desired.