Alright, first things first. Why are potato nachos called Irish nachos? Honestly, it’s essentially just that. The fact you’re using potato instead of chips. Although many Irish folk will be waving their fists in the air over this post, the pubs have Christened this dish as such, and as a British pub enthusiast I have no choice but to conform. Some Irish nacho recipes use waffle fries, some top with corned beef, but today I’ll show you exactly how I like mine. Follow me…
Potato Nachos
Best potato to use?
I recommend a baking potato like a Russet (US) or Maris Piper (UK). I don’t recommend using a waxy variety of potato because they retain too much moisture and won’t go as crispy. In all cases you want to keep the SKIN ON for extra flavour.
How thin to slice the potato?
A lot of recipes tend to slice the potato quite thin, but honestly by the time you’ve cooked and drenched them in cheese, the thinner they are the more likely they’ll go soggy. As such I recommend just over 1/4″ thick.
Soaking in cold water
I recommend soaking the slices in cold water to help remove starch. Starch is what makes potatoes go gloopy when they cook, so removing it will help the potatoes crisp up & go fluffy in the centre. Essential to thoroughly dry the potatoes after soaking though, just to remove as much moisture as possible. Process shots: place potato on chopping board (photo 1), slice of ends (photo 2), slice into rounds (photo 3), soak in cold water (photo 4), drain and place on tea towel (photo 5), thoroughly dry (photo 6).
How to cook Irish Nachos
When it comes to cooking the potatoes you’ve got a few different options:
Deep Frying – The most faff as it uses a lot of oil, but the potatoes do crisp up nicely. I usually only do this method if I’ve got leftover oil from something I’ve deep fried recently. Shallow Frying – A happy medium between deep frying and baking. Still uses a fair bit of oil though. Baking – This is great if you’ve got a giant sheet pan to cook all the slices at once and of course uses less oil.
In all cases you’ll want to season with a hefty pinch of salt and pepper. If frying you’ll do this after they’re cooked, if baking you do it before. I tend to not add any other herbs etc because I find it distracting. They’re about to be smothered in cheese sauce anyway 😛
Guinness Cheese Sauce
Now you could grate cheese over the nachos and bake, but this just adds time. I also find that baking the potatoes even longer just turns them soft because they’re all piled on top of each other. As such, I recommend whipping up a quick cheese sauce.
Guinness
Now, I’m personally not fan of drinking Guinness, but in this context it’s delightful. Adding Guinness to the cheese sauce not only injects some ‘Irish’ into the dish, but it also offers a really gorgeous deep flavour to the sauce. You can definitely taste it, but it’s not overpowering in any way.
What Cheese to use?
A classic nacho cheese sauce would use processed American cheese, but here I use cheddar because it goes best with the Guinness. Monterey Jack also works well! Process shots: melt butter (photo 1), whisk in flour (photo 2), whisk in Guinness (photo 3), whisk in milk (photo 4), add Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and s& p (photo 5), stir in cheese (photo 6).
Serving Irish Nachos
Feel free to go wild with your favourite nacho toppings! Here’s what I use:
Irish Nacho Toppings
Crispy Bacon Red Onion Tomato Jalapeño
For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
Fun Nacho Recipes
BBQ Chicken Nachos No Bake Nachos Gnocchi Nachos Chicken Fajita Nachos
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these Irish potato nachos shall we?!
How to make Irish Nachos (Full Recipe & Video)
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