Delicious, exciting things happening around here today. I mean, hello are you not looking at all that melty cheese?? Oh and umm, those homemade potato chips? YESSSS! Ok, so here’s the deal, I have some seriously fun things to share today. One is most definitely these Irish Pub Spinach and Artichoke Melts. The second is just a little announcement that I am SO excited to share! Do you guys remember how I was nominated for Better Homes and Garden Blogger Awards?? Well, guess what? You guys voted… and I won! Ahhh!! So excited and so grateful to all you guys that voted and continue to support HBH daily. Seriously, thank you!! ?
As a thank you to all my friends around the world, I am bringing these melts to the table today. I feel like it’s been a bit since we’ve done a seriously cheesy recipe, so you know I had to make up for that with something KILLER…enter these cheesy, butter fried Irish spinach and artichoke melts. AKA the ultimate lunch, dinner and yes, hangover food. Meaning not only are these melts perfect for celebrating the Irish today, but they might just be even better for tomorrow… For real.
All joking aside, it really doesn’t get better than these melts + salty homemade potato chips. Whether you are partying it up today or just hanging at home (that would be ME)… you NEED these in your life. Just like any good melt/grilled cheese you need three very important ingredients. …one: good bread. I recommend a sourdough, but a savory Irish Soda bread would also be really fun too! I actually used a loaf of rye for the photos you see, but I think I prefer the sourdough to the rye. I found the rye to be a bit overpowering. …two: CHEESE. I mean, duh. I kept the cheese in these melts simple, but GOOD. You need a sharp white Irish Cheddar…legit. This cheese will solve all your problems and it makes for the most awesome melt. Honest. 🙂 …three: butter, Irish butter to be exact. Sure, you can totally use olive oil, but let’s just be real, you know that butter is going to give you that golden crust we all know and love. And I mean, come on, it is St. Patrick’s Day, have some fun! If you have yet to try Irish Style butter, today is the day. I like to use Kerrygold brand…it even comes in fun gold packaging too! Gotta love the Irish and their gold! OK. So those are your three must-haves for a good melt, but lets talk about this spinach and artichoke filling. Think spinach and artichoke dip, but stuffed into a sammie, and then toasted in a skillet with butter! It’s EVERYTHING. All you need to round out this Irish meal is potato chips. I fried mine in olive oil to be a bit healthier, and then tossed them with flaky salt and um…parmesan. I did not include the potato chips as part of the recipe but if you do want to make your own, they are so simple. Just heat a pot of oil to 325 degrees F. Thinly slice your potatoes using a mandolin, fry thirty seconds to one minute. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt + parmesan. Serve alongside your melts… then DEVOUR…fair waring they are completely addicting.
Now bring on the Drunken Irish Cake.
