St. Patrick’s Day tradition with a twist

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today won’t be complete until we sit down to the traditional dinner of corned beef and cabbage. While I love customs, I also love swoon-worthy recipe mash-ups. So, we’re not abandoning tradition, just bending it a little.

Another popular dish starring corned beef is the Rueben sandwich.

The perfect blend of flavors; savory, tangy and a hint of sweet. Can we just agree that the Rueben is the best sandwich ever?

Lots of Irish pubs have “Irish Nachos” on the menu. These are usually Mexican-style nacho toppings with potato chips, French fries or potato wedges instead of tortilla chips.

Let’s get our Irish on and mash up Irish Nachos with a Rueben sandwich. Oh, yes. This is happening!

We’ve got steak-cut fries loaded with succulent corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut then drizzled with thousand island dressing. Of course, we could just sprinkle with swiss cheese and call it good.

But you know me, little ideas just pop into my head. We need something creamy and cheesy, like queso sauce, but Irish. How about a sharp cheddar cheese sauce made with Guinness beer? It’s St. Paddy’s Day, after all.

PUB STYLE IRISH NACHOS WITH

GUINNESS CHEDDAR SAUCE

What You’ll Need:

1 (20 to 30 oz.) package frozen French fries – or fresh equivalent – see note

1 ½ cups corned beef, chopped

½ cup sauerkraut, well drained

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

Thousand island dressing for drizzling

Green onion for garnish

Guinness Cheddar Sauce – recipe below

Note - Use any cut of potato that appeals to you, I used steak-cut fries but waffle cut would be really good.

Here’s How:

Bake your potatoes per package directions, leaving the oven on afterward to bake the finished nachos. Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. When the potatoes are done – assemble the nachos. On a baking sheet or cast-iron skillet, spread half the potatoes and cover with half the corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss and some cheese sauce. Repeat to make a second layer on top. Place in the oven to melt the cheese. Serve with more Guinness cheddar sauce.

GUINNESS CHEDDAR SAUCE

What You’ll Need:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

¾ cup Guinness or other stout beer

½ to 1 cup milk

1 tsp. dry mustard

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Hot sauce, to taste - optional

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Salt and pepper

Here’s How:

In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk together for 2 minutes to make a roux. Add the beer and ½ cup milk and bring the mixture to a simmer stirring constantly. Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Continue stirring until mixture thickens. Add the cheese by small handfuls, waiting until each addition melts completely before adding the next. Continue to stir until the mixture is smooth. If the sauce is too thick add more milk and stir. Season with salt and pepper.

Perhaps this cheese sauce is the real pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If you see a leprechaun, please ask him for me.

Frugal Festive Food by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! www.divasonadime.com Join us on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom.