[Photograph: Jennifer Olvera]

Gooey, spicy quesadillas are an inexpensive, hangover-abating and crowd-pleasing snack. But crispy ones, like the kind you find in bars? They're hard to come by at home.

The key to making them pub-worthy is having an appropriate cheese-to-tortilla ratio, a bit of oil, and high heat. Yes, you can cook them in the oven at 400 degrees, eliminating the oil and replacing it with a double-sided spray of Pam, but the results won't be as good.

And if you're worried about a bit of cheese oozing out, don't: it's the best part.

That under-utilized George Foreman grill works wonders on quesadillas, but because they need to be cooked one at a time, keep them warm and crisp in a 200°F oven, laying finished ones on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Get the Recipe

Crispy Pepper Jack Quesadillas >>

About the author: Jennifer Olvera is a veteran food and travel writer and author of Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago.