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Rueben Nachos

What are you going to do with all that left over corned beef?……. Rueben Nachos thats what!

So after St Patty’s Day you have some left over corned beef. Not really enough to have for a meal but you don’t want to throw it out. Rueben Nachos are just the ticket. And since St Patty’s Day is on Thursday this year, you can have Nachos on Friday or Saturday night.

I have never seen rye chips so, I made my own. You know those little cocktail party bread loaves you get for the cucumber sandwiches……..well I thought they would make the perfect base for nachos. Pepperidge Farm has a light Jewish Rye Party Bread…..perfection.

Roll them thin and bake them they are as close to a rye chips as you can get, and rueben need mohave rye bread. A little spray of non stick cooking spray, into the oven, and you have rye chips! Cool huh?

Now of course you need that left over corned beef.I actually cooked a small on in …….wait for it……my pressure cooker! It took 90 minutes, but it came out perfect. I shredded and chopped it.

Heap the rye chips on a cookie sheet or in a baking dish if you want to be fancy. Place the corned beef around the edge, at least that is what is did if you want to layer it on top of the chips feel free.

Next sauerkraut. For my money Frank’s Sweet Bavarian Kraut is the best. Be sure to drain to and squeeze it dry in some paper towels. The last thing you want is soggy chips. I just kind tossed it on top of the chips, but if layering is your thing, place it on top of the corned beef.

I decided that beer cheese sauce was what should go on top. I have always had beer cheese made with cheddar……..swiss is the bomb! A couple of tips…….be sure to not boil the beer, heat it just until its hot. Coating the cheese in corn starch helps to thicken the sauce and kinda, keeps the sauce from clumping too bad. It will clump so be prepared. Try to add the cheese slowly and keep stirring. At first you will think what have I gotten myself into and why isn’t this working……keep stirring. It will like magic melt and be beautiful. Just before you pour it over the nachos, stir in some grainy mustard. This beer cheese is too good for words.

I put mine under the broiler for just a few minute to kind warm the corned beef and let the cheese melt down into the chips all the while keeping the chips as crispy as possible.

Once out of the broiler, drizzle with 1000 Island Dressing and chopped pickles. I am not a huge fan of sweet pickle but they added that little something extra.

All the flavors of a Rueben in nacho form…….. Rueben Nachos! Erin Ole`

Rueben Nachos

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Author: Marty Boyd
Yield: 6 1x

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Ingredients

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1–12 ounce package Pepperidge Farm Jewish Rye Party Bread
1 cup corned beef, chopped
1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained and squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
1/3 – 1/2 cup beer
1/4 cup 1000 Island Dressing
1/4 cup chopped sweet gherkin pickles

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Instructions

Preheat oven ot 400*
Trim the crust from the rye bread and using a rolling pin, roll each slice as thin as possible.
Place rolled bread on a cookie sheet and spray with non stick spray. Bake in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes or until browned and crispy. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile place shredded swiss cheese in a plastic baggie and add cornstarch, shake to coat cheese. Pour beer into a small saucepan, warm the beer but do not bring to a boil. Add cheese/cornstarch mixture in small batches, continually stirring. It will be a big glob of cheese, but keep stirring, it will melt. If sauce is too thick add beer until desired consistency. Stir in mustard, keep warm.
To assemble nachos heap toasted bread onto a cookie sheet or baking dish. Place corned beef around the outer edge of the bread. Top bread with sauerkraut, and pour cheese sauce over top. Place under broiler for a few minutes to warm the corned beef and melt the cheese into the dish.
Remove from broiler and garnish with 1000 Island dressing and pickles.

Rueben Burritos with Guinness Gravy

Rueben Burritos with Guinness Gravy

St Patrick’s Day is traditionally a corned beef and beer day! I must turn to the unconventional……..kinda.

Speaking of untraditional, in our community there is a bar/ restaurant called “Kelly’s”
The Kelly family has owned it as long as I can remember. The untraditional part…….they serve Mexican food…awesome Mexican food!

I remember years ago when they first started serving food, they only served on weekends……the line to get in was always long! These days they serve everyday and still have the best Mexican food. If you are ever in Sterling, Illinois, stop by the Irish bar that serves Mexican food, Kelly’s, you will be glad you did. Continue reading “Rueben Burritos with Guinness Gravy”

Rueben Pizza

Rueben Pizza

As promised, yet another Corned Beef recipe. This one is a simple and easy way to use left over Corned Beef from your St Patty’s Day Celebration.

Once again I cannot say enough about pizza…………I swear you can put anything on a pizza crust and have it come out tasty. After all pizza crust is bread, so any sandwich filling will make a great pizza. And who says pizza has to have tomatoes for the sauce…….mix it up sometimes , after all variety is the spice of life.

The Rueben Sandwich……….One account holds that Reuben Kulakofsky, a Lithuanian born grover, residing in Omaha, Nebraska, was the inventor. Kulakofsky’s weekly poker game was held in the Blackstone Hotel. The participants, who nicknamed themselves “the committee”, included the hotel’s owner, Charles Schimmel. The sandwich first gained local fame when Schimmel put it on the Blackstone’s lunch menu, and its fame spread when a former employee of the hotel won a national contest with the recipe.

Other accounts hold that the Reuben’s creator was Arnold Reuben, the German owner of the once-famous, now defunct Reuben’s Delicatessen in New York City.

Whatever the origin, it’s a yummy sandwich. If you make the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner you are likely to have corned beef left over…………why not try a Rueben Pizza. Pizza crust with thousand island dressing ……no need for the traditional tomato base for this pizza. Topped with all the sandwich fixings, that left over corned beef ( you can buy deli corned beef and chop it up if you prefer), sauerkraut, and swiss cheese. I added onions……….because I like onions on a sandwich and on pizza…….you can leave them off if you prefer.

Try the Rueben Pizza……….before or after St Patty’s Day or any day you are craving a Rueben.