Ok, so they’re not Irish and they’re not really Nachos. What Irish Pub Nachos are is ooey, gooey, cheesy potato deliciousness and there’s corned beef or bacon sprinkled throughout.
Irish Pub Nachos
You might call this an appetizer, but for us, it was a fun meal. The “us” is my favorite octogenarians, my folks who are in their late 80s, and myself.
I didn’t think the folks would go for these but I was wrong and we “housed” them, For today’s folks, it means we inhaled the Irish Pub Nachos!
About Irish Pub Nachos:
Get the baked potato chips right on this and it hardly matters what you put on top! I like some brown and crispy and some a bit softer but err on the side of crispier.
Once those potatoes are done and any of the special sauces linked below have been stirred together, the rest takes just minutes to assemble and heat through.
Irish Pub Nachos
Let’s talk about the components; if you follow me, you’ll notice this isn’t my usual format. For these Nachos, it’s all about choices; your choices!
The Cheese:
This is all a matter of personal opinion. So many ways to go!
- I like a melty, not too aged (read grocery store) Cheddar & a little Monterrey Jack. Taco cheese might be good, Colby Jack is fine.
- If you want to go over the top wild (Did I tell you I just joined the Dull Women’s Group on FB? Yep, there is one and I did! So yes, this is wild for me) sprinkle a little grated Parmesan or Asiago over the other cheese for a little sharpness and/orbleu cheese, feta, or queso fresco on the finished nachos.
The Wing Sauce:
Homemade is special on these, but fix up a store-bought one if you want.
- This five-minute Homemade Wing Sauce is super simple & you can customize your seasonings.
- If you don’t want to go there, add a little taco seasoning, store-bought or homemade, to your bottled wing sauce.
- If that’s more than you want to invest time-wise, use your fave taco sauce.
Pico de Gallo or Salsa:
If you’re going to invest time in any of the components and want to pick and choose what to make and what to buy, the Pico or Restaurant Style Salsa and the Ranch are the places to do it:
- Garnish with Pico de Gallo (I have two recipes on my site, one is Classic Pico de Gallo and the other is Chipotle’s Copycat.) Serve on the side so everyone can control how much or little they want and you’ll have no sogginess.
- For super quick and easy make Restaurant Style Salsa. (No chopping involved!)
- In a pinch, use your fave store-bought salsa.
Homemade Ranch:
Bottled Ranch isn’t my thing but I ditched sour cream for Greek Yogurt Ranch. It’s a condiment worth making!!
- Check out my Easy Greek Yogurt Ranch. It’s transformative!
- If you want to use bottled Ranch, do, but you’ll be missing out!
The Extras:
Go crazy and top with any additional toppings you want.
- Pickled Jalapenos or Cowboy Candy? Yes, please. A sprinkle of green onion, chives, or cilantro. Why not! Lime is essential! Avocado great. Maybe black olives.
- What do you love on your nachos? Enquiring minds want to know! Leave me a comment, below!
The potatoes:
The potatoes for this recipe are a little thicker than my potato chips or commercial ones. They can be baked (like in these photos) or fried.
- You can make these Nachos with my Homemade Potato Chip recipe. You can see my potato chips in action in my post on Mc’Mullan’s Irish Nachos.
- I’m just tossing it out as an option; I think a little sumpin’ would be lost and kettle chips are pretty pricy but they could work.
McMullan’s Irish Nachos
Storing and Reheating:
They are best right out of the oven so indulge. If you have leftovers remove items that won’t keep or reheat well and refrigerate. `
Heat on a sheet tray at about 400 degrees F., loosely covered with foil. You may want to add a little fresh cheese when they are almost heated through.
Saving Money on Irish Pub Nachos:
This is a long post so I’ll focus on the main ingredients. Note that you can lower your price point by choosing additional items for toppings and garnishes carefully.
russet potatoes:
Potatoes are dirt cheap, but there are some tricks to know. Once they’re home, store them in a dark, cool, dry area, well-ventilated and away from onions. If they are in plastic remove them; a plain old paper grocery bag with the top folded over isn’t elegant but is ideal for storing.
- Think seasonally; although never expensive, russets from one variety or another are in season and at their lowest from late summer through winter. Take advantage of that lower pricing to use them more often.
- For best value compare the per pound price of potatoes, which will usually be the largest bags unless there is a great sale on another size.
- Generally, the largest bags have a mix of sizes; give them a sort and pick out larger, more uniform ones for baked, twice-baked, hasselback, or other recipes that need whole potatoes, reserving the others for recipes like this one where size doesn’t matter.
- Large baking potatoes sold wrapped are never a good value; they look gorgeous but are pricier and way above normal serving sizes. Save them for special occasions. Check for these at better pricing at your buyers club.
cheese:
Cheese is an item that is on sale so often it’s not that hard to keep stocked up at a low.
- Cheese is often rock bottom around sporting events and holidays and periodically drops to a low throughout the year, there’s no reason to pay full price.
- Both Lidl and Aldi have great prices, rivaling grocery store sales pricing. Your buyer’s club might. Crunch the numbers. Beware of sliced or shredded; depending on your area the the packages may contain less cheese than the blocks.
- Cheese keeps for weeks in the fridge, unopened. It may be frozen but will be crumbly upon being thawed, suitable only for things like casseroles. Disclaimer: I think plain old grocery store Cheddar tastes better after freezing, in spite of the fact it’s a little crumbly.
Irish Pub Nachos
Irish Pub Nachos
Fun potato “nachos” layered with cheese and corned beef or bacon. Serve with Home-made Yogurt Ranch and toppings of choice. Part of the prep time is soaking the potatoes.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: varies
- Yield: serves 4 - 6 1x
- Category: Appetizer
Ingredients
- 4 good sized russet potatoes, peeled if desired & sliced into rounds of approximately 1/4 inch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
- salt & pepper (be generous)
- a little Wing Sauce, store-bought or home-made, doctored with a little taco seasoning
- 8 to 10 ounces (or more) shredded cheese (this is the primary cheese) either cheddar cheese, taco cheese, or a cheddar jack blend
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup finely chopped cooked corned beef (see note on corned beef) or cooked chopped bacon pieces, preferably thick cut (abt 4 strips)
- 2 to 3 ounces of a secondary sharper cheese: Parmesan or Asiago to layer in with the primary cheese, or bleu cheese, feta, or queso fresco, to garnish, optional
- Salsa or Pico de Gallo
- Ranch Dressing
- Cilantro, chopped chives, or thinly sliced green onion to sprinkle on top, as desired
- Lime for serving
- Other toppings as desired: Avocado, Black Olives, Pickled Jalapeno or Cowboy Candy, diced onion or red onion, pickled onion, or any other desired topping
Instructions
In a container large enough to hold the sliced potatoes, add a teaspoon of salt and a good pinch of sugar (optional) and soak the potatoes for 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry (lay out on a clean kitchen towel, cover with another towel and lightly press.
In the meantime, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut parchment paper to fit one very large or two smaller baking sheets with. There should be enough room so the potatoes are in a single layer. Place the pan or pans in the oven to preheat.
When potatoes have soaked and are dried, lay them out on the parchment sheet or sheets, sprinkle generously olive oil, toss and rub, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread into a single layer. Remove a baking sheet from the oven and slide the parchment carefully, with the potatoes on top, onto the baking sheet.
Place in oven and bake for a total of about 35 to 40 minutes, turning and rotating the pans once or twice and with a thin spatula, turning the potatoes and rearranging and removing as necessary. Bake until lightly browned and crisped.
Remove potatoes. If using more than one tray, put all the potatoes together, spread out on a single tray. Turn oven up to 475 degrees. Drizzle potatoes with a little Wing Sauce. Using about 1/2 the primary cheese of choice, sprinkle over the potatoes. Sprinkle with corned beef or bacon, then the secondary cheese if using, either Parmesan or Asiago, and top with the remaining primary cheese.
Bake about 10 minutes, rotating as necessary.
Remove from oven, garnish with secondary cheese if using, either the bleu cheese, feta, or queso fresco, and serve immediately, accompanied by Ranch (dolloped on top of the nachos, Pico de Gallo or Salsa (served on the side), and don’t forget the Lime.
Add any additional toppings desired, a few are suggested but go with your favorites.
Notes
If you’d prefer to fry the potatoes, preheat oil to 375 degrees f. Working in batches, place potatoes into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper bags or paper towels and proceed with recipe.
For corned beef: you can add diced or shredded cooked corned beef but this is even better if you heat a tablespoon of oil in a small skillet, heat and add the corned beef, tossing and cooking until it’s a little crispy on the edges.
Links for Home-made Taco Seasoning, Home-made Wing Sauce and Home-made Ranch and Pico de Gallo are at the bottom of the post. Follow the links.
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I’ll be bringing this recipe to Fiesta Friday, hosted this week by Sarah @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed and Liz @ Spades, Spatulas, and Spoons
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