Ingredients
Tortilla Chips:
- Canola oil, for deep frying
- 6 blue corn tortillas, cut into strips
- 6 flour tortillas, cut into quarters
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
New Mexican Rubbed Pork Tenderloin:
- 3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pasilla chili powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons allspice
- 2 teaspoons chile de arbol
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, split in half
Mornay Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups whole milk, heated
- 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch chile de arbol
Avocado-Corn Relish:
- 2 ripe Hass avocados, diced
- 2 ears corn, roasted in husks and grilled, kernels removed
- 1 Charred Jalapeno, seeded and finely diced, recipe follows
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
- Splash olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Charred Jalapenos:
- 6 jalapenos
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Pickled red onions, for garnish
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese, cut into small pieces
- Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Directions
For the tortilla chips: Heat oil in a deep fryer to 340 to 350 degrees F. Fry the tortillas, in batches, until firm. Drain on paper towels and season immediately with salt.
For the new mexican rubbed pork tenderloin: Combine the ancho chili powder, sugar, pasilla chili powder, salt, allspice, chile de arbol, cinnamon and some black pepper in a small bowl.
Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over high heat. Sprinkle the pork with salt on both sides, and then dredge in the spice rub, tapping off any excess. Sear the pork on all sides until golden brown, and then continue cooking to medium doneness or when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 135 to 140 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before thinly slicing.
For the mornay sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of the warm milk, bring to a boil and continue whisking until the sauce thickens and the flour taste has been cooked out, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the Monterey Jack a handful at a time. Continue whisking until smooth, adding more milk if too thick. Whisk in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and season with salt, black pepper and chile de arbol. Set aside.
For the avocado-corn relish: Combine the avocado, corn, jalapeno, lime juice, onions and olive oil in a bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, and fold in the cilantro.
For the charred jalapenos: Toss the jalapenos with the oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Char in a cast-iron pan over high heat or on a baking sheet in a 400 degrees F oven until the skin is charred on both sides. Let cool before slicing.
For assembly: Arrange the tortilla chips on a large platter in a single layer. Top each chip with a heaping teaspoon of the avocado-corn relish, a slice of pork and some of the Mornay sauce. Garnish with the sliced charred jalapenos, pickled red onions, a dollop of the goat cheese and cilantro leaves.
Photo: Pork Tenderloin Nachos with Mornay Sauce, Avocado-Corn Relish, Charred Jalapeno and Goat Cheese Recipe

















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By hernanja
Frisco, TX
on February 02, 2013
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My husband and I just really felt like spending an evening cooking something that was tasty, and kind of involved, and this was a perfect recipe for that! A lot of work, but super fun to make and eat! We took no short cuts! A agree this would serve way more than 4 people! We had tons of left over pork and sauce, but that wasn't a bad thing either :
By kdilallo
on March 13, 2012
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I've never attempted to make my own tortilla chips or cook a pork tenderloin before, so I didn't know what to expect, but this turned out really, really good! It's not as spicy as it sounds - even my 6 year old daughter loved it! I will definitely save this recipe and make it again!
By aggiegal99
on March 09, 2012
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Holy cow! This is great! I was trying to minimize the mess in my kitchen, so I made one thing at a time...the relish, then the chips, then the pork, then the Mornay sauce. It took awhile, but was totally worth it--the perfect comfort food on a rainy, cool evening! The sweetness of the pork combined with the creamy, cheesy sauce and the spice of the avocado-corn relish is just really, really good. A few words of advice: this recipe says it serves 4. I think I have enough to serve an army. My husband and I ate HUGE plates of food, and we barely made a dent in it. Also, look for the spices in the bulk section of your grocery store. I paid pennies for them since I bought only what I needed. The recipe calls for "corn roasted in the husks and grilled," but I just used frozen corn on the cob and roasted it. The fresh stuff might taste a little better, but at this time of year, frozen was the most economical option for me.
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