Stacked Beef Enchiladas

 Another dish from the kitchen of Gramma Dorothy. Our family has come to know and love enchiladas made this way and it is frequently requested for Christmas and birthday dinners. You can use any red enchilada sauce you prefer, I am still looking for the perfect one myself.

2# lean ground beef
2 lg. onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 8 oz. can El Pato Mexican Style tomato sauce
2-3 doz. corn tortillas
2 28 oz. cans red chili sauce or red enchilada sauce
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. flour
1 sm. can sliced black olives
Mexican Four Cheese blend or a mix of Monterey Jack and Colby

Garnish:
Sour cream with a dash of paprika
Green onion for
Shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes

Dice the onion, but reserve half for assembling the enchiladas. In a skillet over med/hi heat brown half the diced onions, garlic and ground beef. When good and browned add in the el pato and mix in well. Remove from heat. In a saucepan add the red chili sauce. In a small mixing bowl melt the butter (in the microwave is fine) and whisk in the flour. Drizzle into sauce mixture and allow to thicken. If it gets thicker than you like, thin with more el pato or tomato sauce depending on how hot you like your sauce. Remove from heat. Place 4-6 tortillas in a quart size freezer zip lock. Leave it unzipped. Put in the microwave for about 40 seconds to soften tortillas. (You can also dip them in hot oil for a second or two, but this adds more calories and fat).

On an oven proof plate ladle a small amount of sauce. Maybe a couple tablespoons. Lay a tortilla flat on the sauce and add a thin layer of meat, more sauce, a layer of cheese and some diced onion. Repeat layers until the desired amount (per persons order) is achieved. Top layers with a corn tortilla, more sauce, cheese and a few olives. Put into a 350º oven to bake for about 10-15 minutes. You can stack on both oven racks. I sometimes put more diced onions on the tops of the people who like onions to distinguish those from the people who prefer no onion on their enchiladas before putting them in the oven. In New Mexico they add a fried egg to to the top, but I’ve never eaten them that way. Remove with hot pads and serve. I use cloth placemats to protect my table from the hot plate, but trivets, or dishtowels or even a hotpad under the plate would work too. 
Garnish with sour cream and chopped green onions, lettuce and tomato. Serve with chips and salsa and maybe a side of mexican corn.

This pic of Daron enjoying his enchiladas at the cabin seems to be the only pic I can find of this dish. I will try to remember to take pics next time I make it and update.