grill tray

Marissa and I were sharing a little quality mother-daughter shopping time at Scottsdale Fashion Square last week. Lord, how that girl used to roll her eyes and complain when I’d drag her into Williams-Sonoma, in years past. Not anymore, now she wants to go in! Oh, the joys of adult children! It made me want to buy her even more things than I already had.

As always, I made a beeline to the sale section and found this great grill tray. The fab sale price ($19 instead of $50!) and the item description are why I was so excited about it. “This grill tray keeps an even temperature and holds its heat well after you’ve removed it from the grill, making it as useful for serving dishes as it is for cooking them. Conducts even heat for thorough cooking, then keeps food warm at the table. Also useful for serving chilled dishes – just refrigerate or freeze the tray before use. For use on a grill or stovetop, or in the oven. Heatproof to 1,000°F.”

I decided to finally brave the heat outside, crank up the grill, and test it out. So, what grade do I give it? A++

Don’t fret if you don’t have the grill tray, just bake for about 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven, on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Grilled Chorizo Nachos

1 pound chorizo sausage, casings removed and chorizo crumbled
2 large bags of tortilla chips
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
12 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
16-ounce can refried black beans
1/3 cup pickled jalapeño slices
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons minced green onion
1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese

Garnishes
1 cup sour cream seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon each: chipotle chili powder and ground cumin
Salsa

Cook the chorizo in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to paper towels to drain. Preheat the center burner of a gas grill on low and the outer burners on medium-high for 10 minutes.

Place a single layer of tortilla chips on the bottom of a grill tray. Sprinkle half of the cheddar cheese and half of the jack cheese on top. Spoon half of the refried beans on the cheese. Sprinkle half of the chorizo and then half of the jalapeño slices on top. Repeat with the remaining chips, cheese, beans, chorizo, and jalapenos to create 3 more layers, making each layer just smaller in diameter than the previous one so the nachos are an anthill or cone shape.

Turn off the center burner and turn the two outside burners down to medium heat. Place the grill tray over the center burner, close the lid and cook for about 7 minutes. Check the nachos and remove them if cheese is melted. If they aren’t quite there yet, continue cooking, covered, until the top layers of cheese are bubbly and the bottom layers are evenly melted, about 3 minutes more.

Remove the tray from the grill and top the nachos with the tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, green onion, and cotija cheese. Serve immediately with the seasoned sour cream and salsa.

Serves 10