Happy St. Patrick’s Day! You probably won’t ever find me sitting in a pub downing Guinness or whisky, but I’ll definitely eat! So today, I’m sharing my crazy, tasty spin on traditional tavern food and Irish Corned Beef Potato Nachos are featured on my menu! 

Those lucky Irish, with their abundance of potatoes! Spuds make a super great fuel choice for athletes, the complex carbs provide healthy energy to help nail workout and run goals. I did a whole blog post on this that you can check out HERE. Add corned beef from the deli, sharp white cheddar and a bit of cabbage should you care, and these nachos will have your taste buds dancing a jig. 

Before you start layering up your ingredients in a cast-iron skillet, you’ll need to oven roast potato “chips”. This simply requires slicing and tossing with olive oil, salt and pepper — these also make a sensible snack on their own, straight off the baking sheet. 

If you’re wondering what corned beef is, it has nothing to do with corn. The corn is a reference to the coarse salt (called “corns” of salt in the past) that is used to brine the brisket. You can slow-cook or smoke your corned beef at home, but I find it much easier to pick up a couple pounds pre made from the deli! Typically corned beef is made from the leanest, center part of the brisket which has also been carefully trimmed — so you don’t have to worry about this being a fatty, unhealthy protein choice.

The delicious, creamy drizzle you see on these nachos is Original Thousand Island from Litehouse Foods — I originally made this appetizer recipe just for them!

My hubby and I ate a batch of these Irish Corned Beef Potato Nachos as lunch during a full day of workouts at an Obstacle Course and American Ninja Warrior gym — in no time, our tanks were topped, and we were back at skipping through the shamrocks, hurdling over walls and swinging around like stealthy, sneaky little leprechauns.

You might not need luck, but you need good food to power up those ninja skills!

What are you doing to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Have you ever been to an obstacle or ninja gym? Ever made an “alternate” nacho recipe? Please share in the comments – XOXO, Jennifer

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Irish Corned Beef Potato Nachos to Fuel Ninja Leprechauns

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Put some potato power into St. Patrick's day with my Emerald Isle-inspired take on a top appetizer -- Irish Corned Beef Potato Nachos.

Course: Appetizer, Main Dish

Cuisine: Irish

Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about three 5” potatoes)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried or fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
• 6 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3/4 pound shredded corned beef (from deli section works fine)
• 1 cup Litehouse Thousand Island Dressing
• fresh thyme, optional garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat of to 450 F degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Wash and dry potatoes, leaving skin intact. Slice potatoes crosswise into ¼” rounds.
3. Place potato slices in large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper.
4. Arrange potato slices in a single layer on foil-lined baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes or until turning golden brown, and then flip over and cook and additional 15 minutes. Leave oven on.
5. Take potatoes from baking sheets and line bottom of 8” cast iron skillet with 1/3 of potatoes. Top these potatoes with 1/3 portion of corned beef and 1/3 portion of cheese. Add two more layers, repeating process, with remaining potatoes, beef and cheese.
6. Place skillet in 450 F degree oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese bubbling and beef heated.
7. Remove from oven, drizzle with Thousand Island Dressing, and sprinkle with chopped fresh thyme, if desired.