I hope you had a great St. Patrick’s Day, however you decided to celebrate.
Given the current situation with Coronavirus, hopefully, you adjusted your plans in keeping with the guidelines to practice social distancing and self-isolation, if required. In saying that, there’s no reason you can’t bring, or continue, the St. Paddy’s Day celebrations in the comfort of your home. It can be a party of one, or the family. All you need is good food, right? Well, perhaps the addition of a green bevvie (or two).
Last week it was Irish soda bread and I’m still on the Irish theme hoping to find that pot of gold. Even a little lottery win would be lovely, I’m not that picky. Wait … that has nothing to do with food. Well, then again, a lotto win could buy me a load of delectable food.
I’m just going to lay it on the table for you foodie friends.
This week’s offering is salty, full of fat and I’m not going to apologize one bit for it because it’s delicious. It’s called Irish nachos and you’ll thank me for it later - promise! They are quite possibly the best nachos I have ever made and tasted.
“Life is a nacho. It can be yummy-crunchy or squishy-yucky. It just depends on how long it takes for you to start eating it. – John Updike
What is it about nachos?
My hubby isn’t a fan at all but I dies for nachos. It’s the freshness of the salsa, the saltiness of the chips, gooey cheese, and the hint of heat with jalapeños. Nachos are typically served with salsa and sour cream, but I can easily forgo the salsa, but don’t think about taking my sour cream away. That’s a hand slap moment for sure!
There are so many variations of nachos. I’m sure if you googled it, you’d be overwhelmed with options as you can quite literally put anything on them.
The thing that caught my attention about Irish nachos is that they’re not made with your regular nacho chips. Oh no, they’re made with plain Ruffles potato chips.
Where is the “mind blown” emoji when I need it? As I continued reading the recipe, it talked about a homemade cheese sauce with Guinness and a sprinkling of bacon and chives. It was love at first read. I’m sure the recipe came alive and said, “Erin, we love you too, make this recipe.”
Too much? I digress.
Here’s the scoop, look up Irish Nachos on delish.com.
All you’ll require is two tbsp. butter, one clove garlic, two tbsp. flour, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup Guinness, two and a half cups of shredded old or sharp cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, one bag of Ruffles, chopped bacon, and chopped chives.
I know I talk about “super easy” recipes a lot. I have to be honest you can’t get much easier than this one. You begin by making the most important part - cheese sauce. Melt the butter and whisk in the garlic and flour. Add your Guinness, milk and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the cheese until melted and add some salt, pepper and cayenne.
That’s the hardest part. Place your ruffles chips on a serving dish, pour your cheese mixture over top and sprinkle with bacon and chives (or green onions). Voila! You’re done and ready to serve.
This recipe is so simple you don’t even need to make it ahead of time. Actually, the only thing I’d do beforehand, is cook the bacon and cut it up for sprinkling. That’s it!
“Good friends are like nachos. You can never have enough of them.” - Unknown
If you haven’t celebrated Paddy’s Day yet, or perhaps you’ve extended the celebrations, make sure to include Irish nachos in your plans. Heck, you don’t need an occasion for these bad boys! Serve it up anytime you’d like. Irish nachos are definitely fit to eat.
To keep health and safety in mind, please wash your hands vigorously before eating. If you are sharing your platter of nachos, it’s best to serve on separate individual plates rather than everyone using their fingers. Enjoy!
Erin Sulley is a self-confessed foodie who lives in Mount Pearl. Email [email protected]: @ErinSulley Instagram: @erinsulley
