Grocery Basket
pork tenderloin, butternut squash, apples, vegetable oil, dried cranberries, nutmeg, cider, chicken broth, cornstarch, cinnamon, rosemary, sage, cheddar, milk, brie, fontina, tater tots
Category
Main Event
Servings
6-8
Holiday flavors are so delicious, so it’s no wonder we daydream about our favorite holiday foods all year. This dish reminds us of what you might get if poutine and nachos had a baby…at holiday time! It’s our Holiday Tachos (Tater Tot Nachos).
This dish is fantastic for a variety of occasions, including holiday entertaining, game day tailgating or homegating, a fun weekend brunch, or a hearty weeknight dinner! It takes less than 30 minutes to make and doesn’t require any elevated cooking skills. So much flavor, so little work. Score!
Ingredients
1 ¼–1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin
1 ½ cups butternut squash, diced
1 ½ cups apples, diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
4 pinches of nutmeg
Splash of hard apple cider
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cinnamon stick
2 sprigs rosemary, plus more for garnish
4–5 sage leaves, thinly sliced (chiffonade), plus more for garnish
1 ½ cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ cup milk
½ cup brie, pulled into curd-like pieces
Fontina cheese, shaved, to taste*
1 (32-ounce) bag store-bought tater tots, cooked
Directions
Add the shredded cheddar cheese into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. As it melts, add in the milk and a pinch of nutmeg. Blend well into a cheesy sauce. Set aside and keep warm while you prepare the rest of the dish—but do not overcook or burn.
Add vegetable oil into a large skillet over medium-high/high heat. Add in the pork strips and sauté until they’re browned and cooked through. Set aside.
In the same skillet (without cleaning it), add in the squash and apple pieces. Sauté for about 3–4 minutes and then add in the dried cranberries and 3 pinches of nutmeg. Cook for another couple minutes and then spoon the mixture into a bowl and set aside.
Without adjusting the heat under the skillet, deglaze the skillet with a splash of hard cider. (Feel free to use non-alcoholic cider if you prefer). Use a whisk to help blend the bits on the bottom of the skillet into the cider.
Then add ½ cup of chicken broth into the skillet, continuing to whisk as you add in the liquid.
Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining ½ cup of chicken broth and add that into the skillet as well.
Add into the skillet 2 sprigs of rosemary and a cinnamon stick. Stir well. As you stir, the broth mixture will begin to bubble and thicken. Continue to stir well as it thickens to prevent the possibility of clumping.
Once the broth begins to take on a gravy-like texture, add back into the skillet the squash, apples, cranberries, and pork. Mix well into the gravy so everything is evenly coated. Add in the sage and give another stir. Remove from heat.
To build your tachos, combine your tater tots and brie crumbles on a large serving plate. Then shave fontina cheese, to taste, atop both. Top with the pork mixture and then pour the cheddar cheese sauce over everything. Garnish with more sage and rosemary before serving.
Recipe Note
Pro Tip:
If you can’t find fontina, you can use parmesan instead.