When I share recipes with you I usually have a photo of the finished dish to accompany it. 

But today I thought it would be fun for you to see the genesis of the Mexican elote street pan nachos we made.

It all started in our corn patch. Granddaughter Ellery and I picked corn together. Yes, it was humid and hot, but she was diligent going through each long row. Check out the photo of Ellery with the corn harvest. Some ended up in her family’s kitchen, and some landed on my table.

You really can’t go wrong with corn, either on the cob, or off. We enjoy boiled corn with a bit of our hive honey stirred in the cooking water. Leftover corn gets cut from the cob to morph into sheet pan nachos. Beyond yummy!

Mexican “elote” street pan nachos with 2 cheeses

Elote is Mexican street corn served on the cob with a smear of a spicy mayonnaise sauce. So this recipe is a riff on the classic.

If you like, grill the fresh corn, cool a bit, then cut from the cobs. This lends a smokier flavor to the whole dish.

I used corn oil instead of the usual olive oil but either works well.

Cayenne will punch up the heat more than black pepper. 

Ingredients 

Enough fresh corn, cut from cobs, or frozen corn to make a good 3 cups kernels

Salt and black or cayenne pepper to taste

1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and minced

Fresh lime juice to taste plus extra wedges for garnish

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 bag, 8-9 oz or so, corn tortilla chips

12 oz. Mexican cheese blend, shredded (3 cups)

Cotija to taste

Cilantro to taste, chopped coarsely

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.

Film a large skillet with corn or olive oil, enough to coat the bottom nicely. Turn heat to high. 

Add corn and give it a couple good stirs.

Season with salt and pepper. Corn cooks pretty quick, a few minutes, and may get a bit charred. That’s OK. 

Put corn in large bowl, then stir in minced pepper and lime juice to taste.

In another bowl, whisk sour cream, mayonnaise and more lime juice, to taste, then season with salt and pepper.

Spray a sheet pan (you can also use a large oven proof skillet) and make layers of chips and Mexican cheese. Bake until cheese melts, 5 minutes or so.

Immediately spoon corn on top, then sour cream mixture and cotija. 

A shower of cilantro finishes it up.

Serve with lime wedges.

Swap it out

• Monterrey Jack for the Mexican blend. 
• Queso Fresco for the cotija. Queso is softer, moister and more mild in flavor than cotija, which is saltier and more firm in texture.

Inspired and adapted from a couple recipe sites: Delish and Simply Recipes