A good friend of ours brings her signature “Chile Crack” dip to most gatherings; cream cheese, canned chile, and cheese, spread in a pie plate and then ‘waved until heated through and nicely melty.
It is surprisingly tasty and wicked simple.
We were having leftover tacos the other night, and, while walking through the market, I cam across a can of tamales.
Hmmm… tamale crack for a side dish?
INGREDIENTS
•1 can tamales
•1 can refried beans
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•Shredded cheese
*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No Problem! Simply add a bit of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff) and a dash or three of your fave hot sauce, to taste.
Heat your oven to 350º and apply cooking spray to a casserole (I used a small rectangular casserole that would fit the tamales in a single layer).
Spread the refried beans across the bottom of the casserole, then stir in the Sherry Peppers Sauce.
Drain the tamales, reserving the liquid.
Remove the paper wrapping from the tamales and discard.
Place the tamales in a single layer on top of the bean mixture, pressing them into the beans a bit.
Pour the reserved sauce over the tamales, then top with shredded cheese.
Bake, uncovered, until heated through and the cheese is nicely melted.
We had these as a side to those leftover tacos, and they were very nice, but I would wager that they might could make for a tasty dip with corn chips too, also.