Make Better Irish Nachos With Guiness Beer Cheese

Photo: Claire Lower

I haven’t done one of those genetic history tests, but I know the results would reveal my ancestors to be very pale and mostly Irish (or some combination of Irish and Welsh). But honestly, I feel about as Irish as a plate of Irish , which do not come from Ireland and have never been to Ireland—but you can imagine yourself hanging out with them over a pint.

Irish are a simple dish. All you need is some sort of fried potatoes to serve as a base, and all the stuff you’d usually pile onto a “fully loaded” baked potato or potato skin. Most Irish are made by melting on or fried sliced potatoes and topping them with bacon bits, sour cream, and chives or scallions. This is fine—good even—but it could be better.

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My preferred nachos, regardless of nationality, are always made with a sauce—in this case, a beer sauce. You can make a beer sauce with any beer, but I chose Guiness, which is both on theme and on point in regard to flavor. It brings a bitter, malty character to the sauce that pairs particularly well with a super sharp Irish cheddar. Rather than a sauce that boasts a single flavor (cheese), you get a sauce with character and punch, a sauce you cannot stop eating.

In addition to , this sauce is good with bread and pretzels, and it’s phenomenal as a fondue for crisp, tart apples, or as a dip for pigs in a blanket. (This recipe makes a lot, so it’s good to have multiple uses for it lined up.)

Guiness Beer Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons butter

  • 3 tablespoons flour

  • 1/8 teaspoon MSG

  • 12 ounces Guiness, or other dry Irish stout

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 12 ounces sharp Irish cheddar, grated

Melt butter in a medium-sized sauce pan or pot over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and MSG and stir to make a paste, and continue until the mixture becomes foamy and no lumps remain.

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Slowly add the beer, then the milk, stirring continuously. Bring to a…

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