Irish Potato Nibbles and A Brief Irish Potato History

Okay, so these look vaguely similar to nachos and I've seen them all over Pinterest by the name Irish Nachos but that's as close as the similarity gets since these are made with potatoes, cheddar cheese, sour cream and green onions. Dee-lish-ous!

I made my own waffle fries with my mandoline but I sliced them too thin so they were fragile and broke when I tossed them with oil and seasonsings.  Next time, I'll make them thicker to withstand the tossing and flipping!  I used the method Cuisine Kathleen used for oven fries in this post, using a hot water soak and then roasting them in the oven for a healthier nibble.

Did you know that the Irish did not start cultivating potatoes until the 1700s, after they were discovered in the New World and brought to Europe?  With the introduction of the potato, a plentiful and cheap food source, the population increased greatly and especially among the poor.  

Potatoes were so over planted and the so soil overworked that disease struck the potato crops.  It was devastating to the huge number of potato farmers who were left with nothing else to eat. A million died and another million left Ireland!  

No other nation in the world had their cuisine changed so drastically as the Irish with potatoes, with the possible exception of the effect of the tomato on Southern European cuisine. It is only in the past 50 years that the Irish diet is beginning to return to what it was at the start of the eighth century. More interesting information on this topic can be found here.

Irish Potato Nibbles
Inspired by 'Irish Nachos' from Various Sites

Russet potatoes, perhaps 1-2 per person, scrubbed

Shredded cheddar cheese

Sour Cream

Chopped green onions

Use the crinkle blade for your mandoline and slice the potatoes using this method - or simply buy some frozen waffle cut fries.

Place potato slices in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 425.

Drain and wrap potato slices in a clean kitchen towel to absorb as much water as possible, then pat dry with paper toweling.

Place slices in a bowl and toss with a little olive oil and sprinkle on your choice of seasonings. Place on a heavy, rimmed baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and bake about 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven, turning over half way through baking.

Enjoy!

Dance a jig on over to the 4th Annual Blog Crawl at Cuisine Kathleen.