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14 Layer Dip

When your arch nemesis announces their intention to bring their “famous 7 layer dip” to an upcoming party…quietly show up a few minutes earlier than they do and present your host with this 14 layer dip.

Ingredients

For the Refried Beans:

  • 16 oz pinto beans, soaked in water overnight
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ cup lard, or rendered pork fat
  • 1 large white onion, small dice
  • 1 serrano pepper, seeds & stems removed, finely minced
  • 1 tsp dried chipotle pepper, or 2 tsp blended chipotle peppers in adobo
  • Kosher salt, to taste

For the Guacamole:

  • 4 perfectly ripe avocados
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
  • ¼ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
  • 2 jalapenos, finely minced
  • ½ red onion, small dice
  • Zest from 2 limes
  • Juice from 2 limes, at least
  • ¼-½ cup fresh cilantro, finely sliced

For the Chipotle Sweet Corn:

  • 4 heads fresh sweet corn, or 2 16oz cans of sweet corn
  • ½ red onion, small dice
  • Juice from ½ lime
  • Zest from 1 lime
  • 4 oz chipotles in adobo sauce, blended
  • 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

For the Remaining Dip Layers:

  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2 16oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1.5 cups pickled jalapenos
  • 1 cup canned diced green chiles
  • 1.5 cups spicy salsa
  • 3 cups iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
  • 1.5 cups fresh pineapple, medium dice, drained on paper towels
  • 2.5 cups shredded Mexican cheese mix
  • 1.5 cups canned black sliced olives, drained & rinsed
  • 6 Roma tomatoes, pulp removed, flesh cut medium dice
  • 8 scallions, finely sliced

Instructions

For the Refried Beans:

  • Soak beans for 12 hours in cold water with ½ tsp baking soda and 1 Tbsp kosher salt.
  • The beans will double in size after soaking up the liquid overnight, so use a bit more water than you think you may need.
  • Drain the beans after they have soaked.
  • Add beans to a pot or Dutch oven and cover with water.
  • Add the garlic cloves and dried oregano and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to low and cook beans for 90-120 minutes, or until beans are tender.
  • In a large cast iron skillet or large saute pan, heat lard until hot.
  • Add the onions and cook until the onions are translucent and just starting to take on some color.
  • Stir in the minced serrano pepper and the chipotle pepper.
  • Use a slotted spoon to remove the beans from the cooking liquid and place them in with the lard and onions and serrano pepper in the saute pan. *Do not discard the cooking liquid at this stage.
  • Partially mash about half of the beans and add ½ cup of your cooking liquid and stir to combine.
  • Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook and stir your beans, adding more of the bean cooking liquid when the mixture gets too dry.
  • Continue to cook until your beans have reached the desired mashed potato texture.
  • Taste and carefully adjust seasoning with salt, until your beans taste perfect.
  • If you prefer a looser refried bean consistency, add more of the bean cooking liquid.
  • If you prefer a chunkier final product, only mash some of the beans.
  • Set refried beans aside for laying the dip.

For the Guacamole:

  • Remove the pits and skins from the avocados.
  • Gently mash the avocado flesh with a fork, and add in the kosher salt, freshly-ground black pepper, jalapenos, diced red onion, lime zest & juice, and the fresh cilantro.
  • Stir to gently incorporate all of the guacamole ingredients.
  • Taste and adjust for salt and lime juice, if needed.

For the Chipotle Sweet Corn:

  • If you are using fresh sweet corn, steam the corn in a large pan with a lid with a bit of water until the corn is cooked.
  • Remove corn from the cob using a sharp knife.
  • Place cooked corn cut from the cob into a large mixing bowl.
  • If using canned corn, rinse the corn under cold water and allow to drain again before adding to mixing bowl.
  • Combine the red onion with the lime juice and lime zest and allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
  • Combine the corn with the onions and lime juice, and add the blended chipotles in adobo and the mayonnaise.
  • Stir until the mixture is fully incorporated and the corn is evenly coated in the sauce.
  • Taste corn mixture and adjust for salt, black pepper, and lime juice if desired.

For the Final Assembly of the Layers:

  • Sprinkle the diced Roma tomatoes with kosher salt and allow them to sit in a bowl for 20 minutes.
  • After the salted diced tomatoes have rested for 20 minutes, drain off and discard the watery liquid that they released into the bowl.
  • Layer the dip in a deep and wide glass serving dish as follows, starting at the bottom of the serving dish:
  • (1) Refried beans, (2) guacamole, (3) sour cream, (4) black beans, (5) pickled jalapenos, (6) diced green chiles, (7) spicy salsa, (8) iceberg lettuce, (9) fresh pineapple, (10) chipotle sweet corn, (11) shredded Mexican cheese mix, (12) canned black sliced olives, (13) diced Roma tomatoes, and (14) finely sliced scallions.
  • Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips, although you may need some assistance from a fork to reach all the layers!

Notes

You can prepare this a day in advance and store it in the fridge for when you are ready to serve.
You can easily use canned refried beans here, mixed with a bit of taco seasoning, instead of making your own from scratch.