Cheese Enchiladas with Chile Gravy

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The Tex-Mex plate-lunch classic, built around a roux-thickened chile gravy made from dried chile powder instead of a long-simmered whole-chile sauce. Corn tortillas get a quick dip in warm oil so they turn pliable and stay intact, then they're rolled around a generous amount of shredded yellow cheese and onion and baked just until the whole pan is bubbling. The sauce is the point — it takes ten minutes and tastes like it took an hour.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup lard or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup mild pure chile powder (ancho, New Mexico, or a blend)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, warmed
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp cider vinegar

• 12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, for dipping
• 1 lb longhorn cheddar or Colby-Jack, coarsely shredded (about 4 cups)
• 1/2 small white onion, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp chopped white onion
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
• pickled jalapeño slices, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Shred the cheese and set aside 1 heaping cup for the top; toss the rest with the 1/2 chopped onion in a bowl.
2. Make the gravy: melt the lard or heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the roux smells toasty and turns the color of peanut butter. Do not let it brown past that.
3. Pull the pan off the heat and whisk in the chile powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and black pepper. Off-heat blooming keeps the chile from scorching — it should smell deeply fragrant within 20 seconds.
4. Return to medium heat and pour in the warm broth in three additions, whisking smooth after each. Add the salt, bring to a bare simmer, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, whisking often, until the gravy coats a spoon and leaves a clear track. Stir in the vinegar and taste for salt. Keep warm; thin with a splash of broth if it tightens.
5. Spread about 3/4 cup of the gravy over the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the remaining gravy into a wide shallow bowl or pie plate.
6. Heat the 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium until it shimmers, about 325°F — a tortilla edge should sizzle gently, not violently. Using tongs, dip each tortilla in the oil for 5 to 10 seconds per side, just until floppy and glossy, then drain briefly on paper towels. Work in batches of two or three.
7. Dip each oiled tortilla into the bowl of gravy to coat both sides, lay it in the baking dish, mound about 1/3 cup of the cheese-onion mixture down the center, and roll it up snugly. Nestle it seam side down against the edge of the dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, packing all 12 in a single tight row-and-a-half.
8. Spoon any gravy left in the bowl over the top, making sure every tortilla edge is coated (dry spots turn leathery in the oven). Scatter the reserved cheese down the center.
9. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce bubbles around the edges. If you want a browned top, run it under the broiler for 60 to 90 seconds.
10. Let stand 5 minutes so the filling sets, then lift out with a spatula. Top with chopped raw onion, cilantro, and pickled jalapeños. Serve with refried beans and rice.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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