May the luck of the Irish be with you! Here in Kansas City there are always celebrations taking place in honor of St. Patrick’s day. You might see green water flowing through our “City of Fountains” or witness the largest St. Patrick’s parade anywhere. Also one of my favorite bands,”The Elders” return home for their annual “Hoolie” concert. It’s a festive time to be sure! While others cook a more traditional Irish feast, I’m going with something fun. I’m pretty sure nachos are not something you would find on a true Irish menu but it’s something that is festive and fun to eat. It starts with thin sliced potatoes baked crisp in the oven. These chips become the foundation topped with a tangy Irish cheese sauce and loaded with anything you want. As you can see, I like a lot of toppings!
I started with russet potatoes (approx 1 large per person) that will be thinly sliced. The cheese sauce is made with Irish aged cheddar cheese, butter, flour and whole milk.
Slice the potatoes thin.
Lay the slices on a baking sheet single file. Drizzle olive oil and season with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and Aleppo pepper flakes. Pop into the oven at 400 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes. Check them after 10 minutes and if they are brown and beginning to crisp, turn them over for another 5 – 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet.
Add your flour and stir to make a roux.
Pour in 1 1/2 cups of milk. As you stir it will begin to thicken like gravy.
Now it’s time to add the cheese. I added 2 cups of grated aged cheddar. Stir gently as the cheese melts. If the cheese sauce is too thick, add a little more milk.
Cheese gravy, Yum! I thought it needed a bit of salt and pepper just to make it perfect.
See how crisp the potato slices came out! I layered my chips so as to catch as much cheese sauce as possible.
Ladle as much cheese sauce as you like over top of the chips.
I added some crisp bacon bits and tamed jalapeno slices.
Also some diced tomato, chopped green onion, cilantro, guacamole and sour cream.
I found this cheese which turned out to be a harder cheese, it grated like parmesan or romano. Just a sprinkle over the top gave these nachos a little added touch.
Irish Nachos
4 large Russet Potatoes, sliced thin
2 cups Irish Aged Cheddar Cheese, grated
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoon Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper Flakes
1 1/2 – 2 cups Whole Milk
6 slices Bacon, cooked crisp and chopped into bits
Pickled Jalapenos
Tomatoes, diced
Green Onion, chopped
Cilantro, roughly chopped
Guacamole
Sour Cream
1 ounce Dubliner Cheese with Irish Stout, grated
Slice potatoes thin. Lay potato slices on a baking pan single file. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and Aleppo pepper. Place in preheated 400 degree oven for 10 – 15 minutes. Check potatoes after 10 minutes, when they become crisp, turn over to cook an additional 5 – 10 minutes.
Melt butter in a cast iron skillet. Add flour and stir until a roux is formed. Add 1 1/2 cups milk to the roux and stir while the sauce thickens. Add grated cheddar cheese and gently stir as the cheese melts. If the sauce is too thick, add additional milk up to 1/2 cup.
Layer crisp potato chips onto a dish or platter. Ladle cheese sauce over top. Add toppings of bacon bits, pickled jalapeno slices, diced tomato, green onion, cilantro, sour cream and guacamole. Sprinkle Dubliner grated cheese over top.
Makes 4 servings
An Inspired Cook 