In the bottom of a 10" pan or skillet, melt the lard over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour and whisk constantly until the flour starts to get a little color on it. About a minute or two.
Stir in the quart of red chile. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. About 10 minutes.
Use the chicken stock to thin the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency. You may not need to use the full 2 cups. Sauce should appear glossy and smooth. Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper.
The sauce is now ready to use in your favorite preparation of enchiladas whether that's stacking them flat with meat cheese and onion between each layer (pictured), or rolling them up and stuffing them with cheese to finish in the oven, or layering them into a large casserole dish to feed a crowd.
If stacking the enchiladas like the ones pictured, preheat the oven to 350°.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add about 4 tablespoons of neutral oil to the pan. We used peanut oil. Briefly fry each corn tortilla on both sides in the oil. Drain on paper towels. Add more oil if necessary to keep the bottom of the pan covered. *See note below.
Once the tortillas have all been fried and drained, gently submerge a tortilla in the prepared enchilada sauce and lay it on an oven safe dinner plate. On top of the tortilla add a sprinkle of chopped onion and a handful of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. You can also add spoonfuls of seasoned ground beef if desired. Repeat with each layer. We generally layer a total of 3 or 4 tortillas per person.
Once the stack of enchiladas is complete, top with more onion and cheese. Place the plate with the enchiladas in the oven and heat until the cheese on top is completely melted. We usually, try to build two plates and heat both in the oven at the same time.