Carnitas Nacho Fries are the perfect party food. They’re easy, stress-free, and a total crowd-pleaser.
You all know I’ve been on a bit of a carnitas kick the last few months.
I posted both (stove top) Carnitas and Slow Cooker Carnitas , along with Carnitas Tacos , Carnitas Enchiladas , and Carnitas Burrito Bowls to use up all that crispy, gorgeous meat.
I have one final (for now) carnitas recipe for you today, and it’s possibly my favorite because it’s so good/ridiculous/extra: Carnitas Nacho Fries.
Yes, that is a bunch of random good food words all smashed together, and yes, you absolutely need Carnitas Nachos Fries in your life. They are beautiful and wonderful and all things excellent in the world.
You should make them, and you should share them with friends because this is not eat-alone food.
This is make a big batch, set it out on the counter and let everyone grab cheesy, meat-covered fries while you chat food.
If people are gathering at your place (and they are people you like), you should do something nice for them and feed them nacho fries.
How to Make Carnitas Nacho Fries
Nacho fries are super easy and low-stress to make. You just need a warm batch of cooked carnitas, homemade (highly recommended) or store-bought, a bag of frozen french fries, and nacho toppings.
I went super basic with my toppings: cheese, pico de gallo , guac, and sour cream, but add whatever sounds good to you: beans, olives, corn, cheese sauce, etc.
- Bake the fries until they’re just shy of being perfectly crispy and add your hot and melty nacho ingredients: carnitas, cheese, and anything else you want warm.
- Pop the fries back in the oven and bake for just a few minutes until the cheese is melted and gooey. Once the cheese is melted, remove from oven, add the cold toppings, and you’re good to go. Serve immediately and tell everyone to dig in.
Carnitas Nacho Recipe Notes
- Nacho fries are best eaten immediately after cooking.
- If you’re making homemade carnitas for this dish, you can cook them the day before if it’s more convenient (carnitas actually taste better on the second day). Just reheat before adding to the nachos.
- Looking for more easy recipes for entertaining? Try Oven-roasted Tri-tip , Country-style Pork Ribs , Carne Asada Fries , and Snickerdoodles .
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 28-ounce bag frozen fries
- ▢ 2 1/2 cups cooked carnitas
- ▢ 1 to 2 cups shredded cheese
- ▢ 1 cup pico de gallo
- ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
- ▢ 1/2 cup guacamole
- ▢ chopped cilantro optional
- ▢ Lime wedges optional
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake your fries according to package instructions, until just done.
- Set oven temperature to 350°F.
- Top cooked fries with warm carnitas and cheese, and return fries to the oven until cheese is melted, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Sprinkle with cilantro if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!’
Notes
How to Make Gravy From Drippings: your guide to making the best, easy homemade gravy from pan drippings.
Over the last month, I’ve been posting a series of recipes related to one of my favorite fall things, roasted chicken. There’s been an Easy Roasted Chicken Guide , How to Make Chicken Carcass Soup , and How to Make Chicken Stock .
Today, I present you with the last of that series, How to Make Gravy From Drippings.
And I’m not going to say this is my favorite of the bunch, I love them all, but really this is kind of my favorite because it’s a perfect back-pocket recipe.
To me, a perfect back-pocket recipe is one of those recipes that gives you just a little more confidence in the kitchen because you always know you can whip it up in any situation, in any half-stocked kitchen, any time.
This gravy fits all of those bills. It’s quick, requires just four ingredients, and all you need to make it is a pot or skillet, a whisk, and (optionally) a fine-mesh strainer.
Did I mention it’s also really excellent gravy? Making gravy from a roux made with pan drippings means that not only are you getting a creamy, dreamy gravy, but it’s a gravy infused with all the flavor of whatever those drippings came from.
It’s so good, it’s dead easy to make, and I can’t wait for you to try it.
What You Need to Make Gravy From Pan Drippings
Pan drippings from roasted meat and the browned bits: If the drippings are in something that can go on the stove top, pour off everything but two tablespoons of fat and keep all the browned, stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan in there.
If the drippings are on a baking sheet or something that can’t go on the stove top, measure out the correct amount of drippings, pour off the rest, and then use a spatula to scrape the solid bits out of the pan and add them in with the drippings.
The browned bits are optional, but they’ll add a lot of flavor, so why waste them?
Flour: To make your roux and thicken your gravy.
Water, broth, or milk: Any of the three will work here. I actually like gravy made with water best, but experiment and see what works for you. Broth will give you a really flavor-packed gravy and gravy made with milk will be richer (but a little sweet for my taste).
Butter: Adding a bit of butter after the gravy has thickened will make it silky-smooth and rich.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice: Lemon juice is totally optional, but if you taste the gravy and it tastes a little flat to you, just a tiny squeeze of lemon will brighten up the flavor without making it taste lemony.
A fine-mesh strainer: Finally, straining your gravy through a fine-mesh strainer will make sure your gravy is perfectly smooth and creamy with no lumps or solid bits.
How to Make Gravy From Drippings
Start by pouring off all but two tablespoons of fat from your pan (I like to reserve the rest of the drippings just in case something goes wrong or for later use), leaving any solid, stuck-on bits in the pan.
Heat over medium-high heat until any remaining solids are golden brown. Watch out, the fat will splatter during this step. Just turn the heat down if it’s splattering too much.
Whisk in flour and cook until lightly golden, about 30 seconds to a minute.
Very slowly at first, pour in water, broth, or milk, whisking out any lumps as they form. Once the flour seems incorporated, you can speed up your pour.
Cook, whisking continuously for 5 to 8 minutes (possibly longer if making a larger batch), until gravy is thickened and bubbly.
Turn stove off and whisk in butter and salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add a small squeeze of lemon to taste.
Serve over Roast Chicken , Cooked Chicken Breasts , Mashed Potatoes , biscuits or anything else that sounds good topped with gravy.
Gravy From Pan Drippings Recipe Notes
- If your roux (fat and flour mixture) comes out lumpy and does not look like the roux in the photo, don’t worry. You probably had a lot of cooking liquid in with the fat and it evaporated during the browning step. Just make sure to whisk in the water/broth/milk slowly to get rid of the lumps and your gravy will be just fine.
For more How-to Tutorials, you might also enjoy:
How to Cook Chicken Breast for Salads and Sandwiches How to Cook Shredded Chicken How to Cook Chicken for Recipes
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ Fine-mesh Strainer
Gravy From Drippings
- ▢ 2 tablespoons fat from pan drippings
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 15g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 2 cups water or chicken broth or milk
- ▢ 4 tablespoons ( 2oz ) salted butter
- ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
- ▢ Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste optional
Instructions
If Cooking in Original Roasting Pan/Skillet
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from skillet, retaining any browned solid bits in the pan.
If Transferring Drippings to Skillet
- In a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons of fat from pan drippings. Scrape solid, browned bits from the original cooking pan and add them to the skillet (skip this step if you don’t have a fine-mesh strainer).
Gravy From Drippings
- Heat fat over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until any solid bits in the drippings are well-browned. Add flour and whisk until lightly golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Slowly pour in the water/broth/milk, whisking out any lumps as they form.
- Whisk continuously until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add butter and, if desired, lemon juice to taste—just enough to brighten up the flavor a little. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Strain gravy through fine-mesh strainer if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
These Small-batch Pumpkin Cookies are a pumpkiny fall dream. They’re chewy, spicy, soft, and smothered with tangy cream cheese frosting.
Hey, friend. Welcome to October, AKA the month where we put pumpkin into everything: pumpkin pasta , pumpkin pancakes , pumpkin donuts , pumpkin lattes , and today, cookies.
Might I interest you in some Small-batch Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting?
(If your answer is no, we might not be able to keep being friends.)
These cookies are a pumpkiny fall dream: chewy, spicy, soft, and smothered with tangy cream cheese frosting.
The recipe will make just eight cookies, and like most of my small-batch cookie recipes , it’s quick, easy, and super simple to throw together.
The cookies are made with melted butter, so there’s no butter to soften (for the cookies–we’ll talk about the frosting in a sec), and the dough doesn’t need to be chilled. So you can decide to make some pumpkin cookies and have them baked and cooling on your counter in about 20 minutes.
Once the cookies are mostly cooled, it’s time to frost them. I used my favorite Cream Cheese Frosting , and folks, it’s really excellent cream cheese frosting.
Silky smooth, creamy, and just the right balance of tangy and sweet, you will probably want to eat it with a spoon, which I totally recommend–just try and leave some for the cookies too. 😉
Small-batch Pumpkin Cookies Recipe Notes
- If you don’t like cream cheese frosting, you can also use my small-batch Vanilla Frosting .
- While the cookies are made with melted butter, the cream cheese frosting uses softened cream cheese and softened butter. Take out the butter and cream cheese for the frosting when you take you the rest of your cookie ingredients and let them sit on the counter while you make your cookies. They should both be softened by the time the cookies are made, baked, and cooled. Though if your kitchen is cold, you may need to cut them into smaller pieces so they soften more quickly.
- For more small-batch cookies, try these Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies , Frosted Sugar Cookies , Peanut Butter Cookies , and Shortbread Cookies .
This recipe won’t use up an entire can of pumpkin puree. For ideas on what to do with the leftovers, check out What to Do With Leftover Pumpkin Puree.
Ingredients
Small-batch Pumpkin Cookies
- ▢ 4 tablespoons ( 2oz ) unsalted butter *
- ▢ 1 cup ( 120g ) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon *
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- ▢ Pinch of ground nutmeg
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 50g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 50g ) brown sugar
- ▢ 1 large egg yolk
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 30g ) canned pumpkin puree
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ▢ 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ▢ 4 tablespoons ( 2oz ) unsalted butter softened
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 1 cup ( 120g ) powdered sugar sifted
- ▢ Pinch of salt
- ▢ 1 teaspoon milk optional
- ▢ Ground cinnamon or sprinkles optional for topping
Instructions
Pumpkin Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter for 20 to 30 seconds, until mostly melted. Set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, and whisk until well-combined. Add egg yolk, canned pumpkin, and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
- Use a spoon to stir in flour mixture until just combined. Scoop 1 1/2-ounce scoops of dough (this should make 8 cookies) and place on a cookie sheet (for the roundest cookies, roll your dough into a ball before placing on the sheet). Use the palm of your hand to smash the dough to 1/2-inch thickness.
- Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, until the tops of the cookies look set and the bottoms are just slightly browned. Cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and pinch of salt and beat until frosting is smooth, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the sugar is incorporated. If the frosting is too thick, add milk by the half teaspoon until frosting is creamy and smooth.
- Frost on cooled cookies. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or sprinkles if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Carnitas Nacho Fries
Ingredients
- 1 28-ounce bag frozen fries
- 2 1/2 cups cooked carnitas
- 1 to 2 cups shredded cheese
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup guacamole
- chopped cilantro optional
- Lime wedges optional
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake your fries according to package instructions, until just done.
- Set oven temperature to 350°F.
- Top cooked fries with warm carnitas and cheese, and return fries to the oven until cheese is melted, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Sprinkle with cilantro if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!’
