a note about quesadillas en masse

Was that Super Bowl a bust, or what? Gosh, it was boring. And the lovely Lori wasn't able to co-host the party this year, thanks to the winter blitz that sent the entire I-20 corridor into an icy tailspin. That made me sad.

But, there is some redemption to be found in good food.

Last year, we thought pulling off a San Francisco- and Baltimore-themed menu was hard. And you know what? We were wrong.

Denver and Seattle are for-real hard.

Did you know Denver is known for this "specialty" called Rocky Mountain Oysters? If you aren't familiar, look it up -- I was having none of that.

I also thought slinging fresh fish around like they do at a Seattle market might be a little much.

So you see the challenge here.

I can't say this was my favorite Super Bowl menu I've ever done ...

... but there were a couple of winners tucked in that menu.

See those Seattle Smoked Salmon Quesadillas up there? Man, they were good. But risky! I wasn't sure how successful their holding time would be, nor how they could be made en masse ahead of time.

So I rolled the dice on this technique, and so pleased I did!

Smoked Salmon Quesadillas for the Masses
(and Plain Cheese Ones for the Picky Eaters)
Makes 8 whole quesadillas

16 soft taco flour tortillas (I used Mission)
16 oz. block pepper jack cheese, grated
8 oz. smoked salmon
16 oz. Mexican cheese blend, grated
Sour cream and salsa for serving

Long before your guests arrive, you're going to brown the tortillas and assemble the quesadillas. (And when I say "long before," I mean a couple of hours.)

To brown the tortillas, heat a skillet over medium heat (my cast iron skillet worked like a charm). Coat with butter, and brown the tortillas one at a time for about 2 minutes on each side, or until they're your favorite golden brown color. (While the tortilla is cooking on its first side, butter the top of it, so when you flip it, the other side gets a little bit golden, too.)

Now all of this is a little tedious, because you're buttering up the skillet and the tops of tortillas like a crazy person, before each tortilla hits the heat, but it's worth it. Stay the course.

While you're assembling these beauts, pick the prettiest golden sides to be on the outsides. So on your first tortilla, evenly spread 1/2 c. pepper jack cheese. Tear 2 oz. of the salmon into small pieces and evenly distribute on top of the cheese, and finish with another 1/2 c. pepper jack cheese. Top with another tortilla. You'll make three more of these.

The plain cheese ones are even easier. Use your favorite Mexican blend, or cheddar, or whatever you love. Use about 1 c. (or a nice generous handful) for each quesadilla. Make four of those.

Stack these all up on some wax paper, and set aside until you're ready to bake them off (maybe in the fridge if you're talking about a few hours).

When you're ready, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place as many quesadillas as you can on a baking sheet (I was only able to do two on each pan), and cook for about 10 minutes. They'll be crispy, with ooey gooey cheesy goodness bursting out of the sides. Use a pizza cutter and slice each quesadilla into 6 triangles.

They will obviously not stay hot forever, but they're still tasty even after the heat has left the party. Since I was only baking two at a time (one of each flavor), they came out intermittently throughout the evening, and so that was how mine went down. Serve them up with salsa and sour cream, and you'll have happy guests.

Of course, you could put anything in the world in these, and keep the same technique -- chicken, steak, grilled veggies. Yum. Yum to all of it.

The revelation here is that we don't have to be scared of preparing quesadillas ahead of time, and en masse, so let these little guys revolutionize your next party!