Spicy Sausage Ragu Nachos with Quick Pickled Onions

Difficulty: Easy

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Nutrition per serving (based on 6 servings): Calories: 1157, Total Fat: 71g, Saturated Fat: 24g, Carbohydrates: 76g, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 22g, Protein: 40g, Cholesterol: 150mg, Sodium: 2256mg

Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Hands-on Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

For the ragu:

3 garlic cloves, smashed

2 celery stalks, diced

2 onions, diced

1 small fennel bulb, tops and core discarded, diced

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

2 cups tomato paste

2 cups robust red wine

2 pounds hot Italian sausage, casings removed

2 bay leaves

1 bunch fresh thyme, bundled with butcher's twine

For the pickled onions:

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Kosher salt

2 to 3 dashes hot sauce (like Tabasco)

1 red onion, sliced thinly into rings

For assembly:

1 large bag corn tortilla chips

1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/2 to 3/4 cup grated fontina cheese

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce

1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) mascarpone cheese

1 cup loosely packed arugula

Instructions

Prepare the ragu: In a food processor, combine garlic, celery, onions, and fennel and pulse to a coarse pure. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable pure with a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until most moisture evaporates and the vegetables stick and brown on the bottomabout 30 minutesto develop a rich fond.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 23 minutes until it darkens slightly. Add the red wine, scraping up browned bits, and cook until the wine is reduced by about half, roughly 45 minutes.

Crumble in the sausage and brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, about 1015 minutes.

Pour in enough water to cover the sausage by about 1/2 inch. Stir in the bay leaves and thyme bunch and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer and cook for about 3 hours, tasting and adding water as needed. Discard the bay leaves and thyme bundle before serving.

Pickle the onions while the ragu cooks: In a bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup cold water, sugar, about 1 tablespoon Kosher salt, and hot sauce. Add the red onion rings and let sit for 1 hour or longer, then drain well.

Assemble the nachos: Preheat the oven to 350F. Arrange tortilla chips on a large oven-safe platter. Spoon the spicy sausage ragu over the chips and sprinkle with both cheeses. Bake 510 minutes, just until the cheeses are melted and gooey.

Meanwhile, stir together the chopped chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and mascarpone until smooth.

To serve, scatter arugula over the hot nachos, dollop with the smoky chipotle mascarpone, and top with pickled onions for a bright, tangy finish. Enjoy!