Flash backwards to January, NFL Playoffs were underway and I was itching to host a Super Bowl Party.  I decided to make this Taco Salad with Doritos recipe, in honor of my favorite Super Bowl Commercials, and share it on Lemony Thyme the week before the Big Game.  That was the plan.  Right up until our home team, the Falcons, got beat in the last round.

I picked up Atlanta Magazine this week and found an article of interest.  Hollywood of the South.  Atlanta, like most cities, is focused on economic recovery.  There’s a buzz about ‘town’ that Hollywood has come to visit and maybe…set up camp.  Welcome.  As it turns out, this year’s Super Bowl Dorito commercial “Goat 4 Sale” was home grown in Atlanta.  How cool is that?!!

Then I remembered, I had never ‘posted’ the recipe.  A great quick and easy Taco Salad, smack full of flavorful ingredients…and Doritos!  Don’t let the French dressing fool you, it’s perfect with this salad and the kids will love it!!  This is a great dish to share at a pot luck supper or make for a backyard summer cook-out.  Have fun with it, we do.

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Taco Salad {with Doritos}

Course Salad

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 head iceberg lettuce torn into bite size pieces
• 1-2 to matoes diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 sm. can sliced black olives
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 cup roasted corn kernels
• 1 small onion diced (about ½ cup)
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 bag Doritos chips nacho cheese flavored
• 1 small bottle French dressing

Instructions

• Brown ground beef, add taco seasoning and prepare according to package instructions. Layer the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Just before serving add the warmed ground beef mixture, about ½ bag of Doritos slightly broken, and about ½ bottle of French dressing. Toss to coat all ingredients. Adjust level of dressing and Doritos according to preference.

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We found the nicest bag of jalapeños at our wholesale club on Saturday and decided to try our hand at making Jalapeño Poppers.  As we worked our way through the store we talked about how me might change them up.  We could stuff them with sausage, kind of like Stuffed Poblano Peppers.  I threw out a bacon wrap, but somehow doubling up on the pork….seemed wrong.

As we turned the corner we found ourselves staring at a giant display of Doritos.  Not something that finds it’s way into our buggy ever often.  But there they were.  What if we coated our poppers in Cool Ranch Doritos.  We must have been hungry.  It sounded brilliant.

From conception I envisioned baking these.  I stuffed them with a spicy browned sausage, scallion, and cheese mixture then did a flour, egg, Dorito encrustation.  As I got ready to put them in the oven a voice in my head said….you’re not going to fry them (with a mischievous tone)?  I pulled two off the baking sheet so we could have a comparison.

It seems the delicate Cool Ranch Dorito coating ;) was no match for a hot sizzling swim in oil.  Most of it ended up in the bottom of the pan.  We’ll share this creation as a Baked Cool Ranch Jalapeño Popper recipe, inspired by Emeril Lagasse. I’d like to say the Cool Ranch Doritos were the star, and while they added a nice crunch….they offered little ‘cooling’ effect to these spicy poppers.  I recommend an icy cold beer for that. What a fun twist on a great appetizer.

Recipe note:  Instead of cutting the jalapeño in half and seeding them, I cut 3 fourths the way around the stem, then make a cut down the full length of the pepper.  I then remove the membrane and seeds before filling.  ** Wearing gloves is recommended for this step.

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Cool Ranch Jalapeno Poppers

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 12 Jalapeños seeds removed
• 6 oz. ground sausage browned & drained
• 4 oz. cream cheese softened
• 4 oz. pepper jack cheese shredded
• 1 scallion thin sliced
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 bag Cool Ranch Doritos

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl combine browned sausage, cheeses, scallion, and spices. Mix until well blended. Fill each of the prepared jalapeños with 2-3 Tbl. of the sausage cheese mixture.
• Set up three small bowls. One for flour with chili powder. One for beaten egg. One for Doritos (begin with 2 cups crushed). Dip each of the filled jalapeños in flour, then egg, then dredge in Doritos; pressing to coat.
• Place coated poppers on prepared baking sheet, cut side up.
• Bake for 30 minutes until filling is bubbly and coating is golden brown.

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