Colorado-Style Beef Enchiladas - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
3 -4 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, to taste
1 (4 ounce) can chopped mild green chilies
1 (8 ounce) can green chili salsa (can use any picante or salsa)
1/4 - 1/3 cup water
vegetable oil, for quick frying
12 corn tortillas
1 lb cheddar cheese or 1 lb monterey jack cheese, grated
Sauce
1 (15 ounce) can mild red chile enchilada sauce
1 (15 ounce) can medium green enchilada sauce
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons cream or 3 tablespoons milk

Preparation

Brown the meat and onion in a skillet over medium heat (while the meat is browning, prepare the sauce).
Drain meat and return to pan; add in taco seasoning, salt, pepper, green chiles, green chile salsa, and 1/4 to 1/3 cup water; mix well, cover, and simmer on very low heat for 15 minutes.
Check meat mixture to see if most of the water has been absorbed; the meat should remain moist; adjust seasonings to taste; cover and keep warm.
The sauce: in a bowl, combine the red and green enchilada sauces, sour cream, and cream or milk; whisk until well blended and smooth.
In a small pan, add 3-4 tablespoons oil; heat over medium heat until hot.
Using metal tongs, work quickly and dip each side of a corn tortilla in hot oil (not more than 1-2 seconds per side).
Promptly place tortilla on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
Repeat with remaining tortillas, adding extra oil to the pan as needed.
To assemble: in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, pour 3/4 cup sauce on bottom of dish to cover.
Place a single layer of corn tortillas on sauce; top with a layer of half the meat mixture, then sprinkle with cheese.
Repeat tortilla, meat, and cheese layers; pour remaining sauce over layers and top with cheese.
To freeze-cool enchiladas completely; cover well and freeze.
To serve-thaw completely; bake at 350\u00b0 for 18-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and heated through.
Serve with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes and top with sour cream and/or guacamole.