Frito® Pie

Remember when you were 21 and you’d stumble out of the bar at 2:00 AM after a long night of merrymaking with your friends? You would happily stumble your way on foot to the local 24 hour mini mart to pick-up a variety of highly processed snack foods before making the two mile trek back to your apartment in 20° weather during the dead of winter. Upon arriving home you’d make short work of 4 bags of chips and 3 packs of icing stuffed snack cakes before passing out until noon the next day? Yeah, this is the grown-up version of that, and it’s awesome...

Welcome to adulthood and Frito® Pie! Southwest flavors meet pop-culture in this Tex-Mex megastar of a dish. If you're preparing this incredibly delicious recipe, it’s probably still 20° outside again, but you’re stone sober, your friends have all moved away and your 2 young children are in the TV room “watching” a movie while arguing with each other through ear curdling screams. At least, that was my experience, but maybe yours will be different. Either way, it should curb any screaming for at least 5 minutes while people enjoy the fruits of your hard labor. Then after, you will sleep for a long long time.  It’s a long winter. Why not treat yourself?

Stay spicy everyone.

Pro Tip: Don’t skimp on the toppings. Toppings make life great. You can see a list of suggested toppings below the ingredients.

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THE INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 4 tbsp avocado oil
• ½ large red onion, diced
• 3 green onions, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• ½ tbsp garlic powder
• 1 (9.5oz) bag Frito® or generic corn chips
• 2 cups shredded Colby jack cheese

Optional Toppings for Serving:

• Sliced serrano peppers
• Pico de gallo
• Sour cream
• Salsa
• Guacamole

THE STEPS

1. On a large stove burner, preheat your Stargazer Cast Iron 12-inch skillet on low heat for 5-10 minutes before slowly turning up the heat to medium-high. Coat the cooking surface of the skillet with 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and bring to temperature for about 30 seconds before adding the ground turkey to the skillet. Cook the ground turkey until browned, stirring regularly, and chopping with a wooden spatula to break into small pieces (about 10 minutes). Drain any excess fat. Preheat your oven to 350°F. 
2. Add the chili powder, garlic powder, taco seasoning and water according to the taco seasoning packet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add the tomato sauce, red and green onion and tomato. Simmer for 7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Pour the meat mixture into a heat safe mixing bowl and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, coat the cooking surface and interior side walls with the other 2 tablespoons of avocado oil. Spread the corn chips across the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Spread 1-1/2 cups of the shredded Colby jack cheese over the top of the corn chips in an even layer. Spread the meat mixture from the mixing bowl over the top of the cheese in an even layer. Spread the remaining cheese over the top of the meat mixture in an even layer. Carefully move the skillet to the center rack of your preheated oven and bake uncovered at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown.
4. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Top with desired toppings and enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Serves: 4-6