Ok, maybe this is just me but I always get a little, well, uncomfortable when I order fajitas in a restaurant. They are like an event. It takes roughly 3 people to carry them out and one of the dishes is sizzling hot and making all that noise. Then you end up taking up half the table with all your ‘stuff’ when everyone else has one measly plate in front of them that they have to pretty much shove halfway off the table to make room for your…spread.
Wow it felt good to get that off my chest.
I don’t like attention on myself, at all, so much so that ordering fajitas at times can make me uncomfortable. Gosh that sentence is weird.
But it’s true.
So, fellow reserved fajita lovers unite! Everything you need is in one tasty baking dish. No need for endless amounts of room on the tables for multiple plates. You simply scoop up one big pile of melted goodness.
Now, if only restaurants could get on board. I’m on to something, right?
- 8 flour tortillas, cut into 1 inch wide strips
- cooking spray
- 1 TBS onion powder
- 1 TBS garlic powder
- 1 TBS ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 TBS chili powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2 lbs sirloin steak or boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- salt & pepper
- 4 TBS high temp cooking oil (vegetable or peanut)
- 1 bottle mexican beer
- 2 red peppers, sliced thin
- 2 red onions, sliced thin
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 2 limes
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- sour cream and/or salsa, for garnish
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, arrange the tortilla strips in a single layer, and spray with cooking spray. Bake until crispy, 8-10 minutes. When you remove the strips, switch the broiler on.
- You're going to get two skillets or saute pans going now, one for meat, one for veggies. Season your meat with salt & pepper. Mix together your spices to create a rub and put on the meat. Start one skillet over high heat with 2 TBS of the oil. Add the meat to the pan, searing on both sides for roughly 2 minutes. Add the beer to the pan and cook to reduce, 5 minutes or so.
- While the meat is cooking get skillet number two going with the remaining 2 TBS of oil. Add your peppers and onions and cook until the vegetables are brown are the edges, 3-4 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, add the garlic. Add the cilantro, juice of 1 lime, salt&pepper, and toss to combine. Remove from the heat.
- Combine the meat, veggies, and toasted tortillas together into a big casserole dish. Top with cheese and place under the broiler to melt the cheese, roughly 3 minutes. Keep an eye on it.
- Garnish with the juice of the remaining lime, sour cream and/or salsa. Place on the table in an orderly fashion.
So much more reserved…
C