Chili Parlor Nachos

Directions

1. * Note: Unspiced, lightly salted, commercially prepared tortilla chips.
2. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
3. Layer half of the tostaditas in a round 10-inch ovenproof serving dish (we use a white ceramic quiche dish). Scatter half the cheese and half the jalapenos proportionately over the tostaditas. Mound the remaining tostaditas in the dish. Scatter the remaining cheese and jalapenos over these tostaditas. Bake 10 to 12 min, or possibly till cheese is melted and the tostaditas are lightly browned.
4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the chili to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Whisk the lowfat sour cream till smooth and shiny. Pour the chili proportionately over the warm nachos. Sprinkle the onions proportionately over the chili, top the entire business with the lowfat sour cream, and serve immediately.
5. This recipe serves 4 to 6.
6. Comments: Eating these nachos - mounded high, mortared together with melted cheese, and topped with steaming chile con carne - is an exercise in manual dexterity and greed: Provide plenty of napkins. In Texas there are some pretty good brands of canned chili for sale, but in the rest of the country you may prefer to use homemade.