"Perfect" Beef Enchiladas

I was in the mood for some enchiladas, so I found the Pioneer Woman's "perfect" recipe and couldn't resist giving it a try.

"Perfect" Beef Enchiladas

(from The Pioneer Woman, here)

Sauce:
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
2 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro

Meat:
1-1/2 pound Ground Beef
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Tortillas:
10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas
1/2 cup Canola Oil

Assemble:
3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Chopped Black Olives
1 cup Chopped Green Onions

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Combine a tablespoon each of flour and oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.

Whisk until you get it a light straw color. 2-3 minutes.

Pour in the can of sauce.

Season with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and let simmer over low heat while you do the meat.

Toss a medium onion into a non-stick pan over medium heat. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the ground beef and cook until brown.

You can drain off any fat here if you have a lot in the pan.

Add the green chiles and salt.

Kill the heat and let the beef mixture cool.

To prep the tortillas, fry them lightly in oil. Don't fry them crisp, just 30 seconds per side.

Lay them out on paper towels to drain the excess oil.

When you're ready to build your enchiladas, add the cilantro to the sauce.

Give it a stir and dunk each tortilla into the sauce to coat.

Spoon some of the beef mixture and some minced black olives into each tortilla.

Top with cheese and green onion.

Roll each one up and add it to the pan. 

Repeat until you fill up the dish.

Top with the remaining sauce and layer with some cheese. 

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Serve with the usual enchilada fixin's.

I was pretty surprised at how well these turned out. The addition of black olives in the filling, along with the roux-based sauce seemed to make a big difference in these enchiladas.

They were savory and spicy and sweet. Just about perfect.

Enjoy!