Wild About Harry’s!!!

(In honor of National Nachos Day I decided to share a bit of nostalgia.)

A few years ago I posted a photo of my husband and me on Facebook.

It was a sweet photo, part of a throw-back album to celebrate our twenty-seventh anniversary. The photo featured the two of us at a local restaurant celebrating my pregnancy. It received an endless string of comments. Not because of how young or cute we looked. (Although I think we were.) Not because of what we were celebrating. (The most important thing we ever did.) Instead, the comments all had to do with the pile of nachos on the table.

Our friends recognized it instantly…the iconic restaurant of our college years, where fried peaches would melt in your mouth, the chocolate shakes were so thick you could turn them upside down, and the nachos were piled high and weighted with cheese.

We didn’t know it then, but those nachos would set the standard by which all other nachos would be measured for the rest of our lives…Harry Bear’s nachos!

• Becky: As soon as I saw the nachos, I knew it was Harry Bear’s. Best nachos ever!
• Marie: Harry Bear’s, the best. I still have my red T-shirt I bought 30 years ago.
• Karen: I LOVED Harry Bear’s nachos. I was just reminiscing about nachos.
• Joy: Ah – nachos. Nothing said love quite like a plate of them. Great memories!

I first discovered Harry Bear’s Restaurant (then called J. Isaac Grundy’s) after a college basketball game. That night, my friends Jeff and Mark had a jalapeño eating contest and snarfed down two full orders of giant nachos and about a gallon each of tea. I had never seen anything like it.

Part of a large group, we laughed and gawked and cheered them on, and then ordered two more platters of that cheesy goodness.

I had eaten nachos before…but only at a professional baseball game. Those were piled in a small paper bowl and squirted with warm gooey cheese. I liked them. They were a novelty in those days, but they were nothing like what the waitress set in front of us that night.

Instead, Harry Bear’s nachos were layered three stacks deep with tortilla chips and grated cheese. The cheese was a secret blend that melted easily but still had a bit of bite. (If you didn’t have enough cheese when you got to the bottom layers they would take them back to the kitchen and add more – something that would never meet health department standards now.) You could order them with beans and jalapeños – which we did, but usually on the side.

From that first visit, it became the place to go. It was so popular that you knew you would see someone from church or school there. Whether on a date, after a game, or in Larry’s and my case, years later, to celebrate a pregnancy…we were just wild about Harry’s.

As often happens, the restaurant changed hands and while much of the menu stayed the same, the portions got smaller, the prices higher, and the atmosphere a little dreary.

A year ago we decided to drive across town to the remaining restaurant and see if the nachos were anything like we remembered. Sadly, they weren’t.

I decided that day to see if I could figure out how to make a close facsimile. I knew the trick was in the blend of cheeses. (I had a relative who worked there years ago and she told me it was a guarded secret.) So, I started playing around with different combinations – cheddar and monterey jack, cheddar and pepper jack, cheddar plus pepper jack and Colby, sharp cheddar, etc. (It was a tough job but somebody had to do it.)

This is what I came up with. And while they may not be as good as the original Harry’s…I think they might be a close second.

Almost Harry’s Nachos

Ingredients:

• Tortilla Chips (we used Dorito’s original toasted corn because they hold the cheese without breaking.)
• ¾ lb. Cheddar cheese (I use medium sharp Tillamook brand.)
• ¾ lb. American cheese* (PLEASE, read my notes on American Cheese and do not use Velveeta.)
• 1 can dark red kidney beans
• 1 sm. jar of pickled jalapeños
• Bacon, 2 slices – we used jalapeño because we like it hot. (No, Harry’s never added this, but cheese and bacon…what more could you want?)
• Salsa (we use Clint’s mild)
• Avocado (one large)

Preheat the oven to 300F. Chill the American cheese in the freezer for a few minutes to make it easier to grate. Drain the beans. Make the crispy jalapeños (recipe below) and fry your bacon.

Grate the cheese (you want about four cups total, half American, half Cheddar) and mix together in a large bowl.

Using a large platter (I use an old restaurant ware one that is oven safe), layer corn tortillas followed by a generous helping of the cheese blend, followed by a sprinkling of beans. (If you don’t like beans just skip this step.)

Repeat the layers two more times. Reserve a half cup of cheese.

Heat in oven for 15 – 20 minutes. When the cheese looks melted (check the layers underneath) add the bacon and crispy jalapeños.

Top with remaining cheese and allow to heat for five more minutes. I like to turn the broiler on and actually have the cheese brown and bubble a bit, but this is totally up to you.

Serve with salsa and sliced avocados. Serves 2-4.

If you want it to be authentically Harry’s, don’t broil the top, don’t crisp the jalapeños and forget the bacon (but really, bacon makes everything better).

The story behind the Crispy Jalapeños

A few years ago, I ate at a local restaurant that offered hot French fries. Hot, because they had jalapeños fried with them.I loved them so much I went back the next day.

That week, at my favorite Mexican restaurant, I asked the waiter to fry some of the peppers that way for me.

They were amazing (so much so they started serving them to customers). Since that time (especially at that restaurant), I have asked to have the jalapeños fried. They are spectacular on nachos!

For this recipe I decided to see if I could do them at home. The trick is to have them be crispy, almost burnt. (I know…I’m weird…but these are good.)

Here’s how: Drain a jar of pickled jalapeños. Pour about an inch of vegetable oil in an iron skillet or dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot (I add a droplet of water to it to see if it pops. Not scientific. But it will tell you if it’s ready.), drop the jalapeño slices one by one into the hot oil. They will sink, then they should float—that means they are starting to cook.

Let them go until the insides begin to turn brown (probably around five minutes). I usually let mine over-brown; I like them crusty.

Using a slotted spoon, remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.

 There you have it! I hope you are “WILD” about Harry’s too!

HAPPY NATIONAL NACHOS DAY!!! Now dig in!

Note – while writing this I realized that just last week the final Harry Bear’s restaurant closed. Sigh…it is the end of an era.

*Please do not buy American singles or Velveeta — they are not real American cheese. They are processed with a lot of chemicals. Real (original) American cheese is a blend of more than one type of cheese, usually including cheddar. By law, it is required to be labeled as processed cheese because it is blended. That is why people mix it up with the processed gunk that you buy in plastic-wrapped slices. However, if it is real American cheese it will say cheese on the label, not cheese food, or worse yet, cheese product. BLAH!

Smaller companies still make good American Cheese. I buy Boar’s Head — the label lists the ingredients as: American Cheese (Milk, Salt, Cheese Culture, Enzymes), Water, Cream, Sodium Phosphates, Paprika, Salt. It also clearly marked “Pasteurized Processed American Cheese” on the label.

It is made from a blend of real cheese, not a watered-down, chemical soup of other ingredients. You buy it at the deli counter and select the color you want. They make both a white and yellow version. I like both, although many use only the white. For nachos I have them cut a 1 lb. block. For burgers, I have it sliced. It is a bit salty, a bit buttery and has a nutty taste. Several smaller companies make it.

You may have to hunt for it, but it is worth it. Just make sure it is real cheese.