cheddar guinness dip/fondue

There is a restaurant in Lakewood, Ohio called Sullivan's Irish Pub. It has an Irish pub interior/decor and some really excellent menu items. Their corned beef and cabbage is to die for, and their fish and chips are quite tasty as well. But there is one thing on the menu that stands above all else and this is their cheddar Guinness dip with potato boxty wedges. The wedges are like a potato dough and scoop quite well and the dip is creamy and delicious. Honestly, there isn't much better in this world than melty beer cheese!

So, tonight, I made my delicious pretzel chicken strips (which turned out better than previous times making this) and to go along side it, roasted broccoli and potato pancakes. Then I thought, you know what this dinner really needs? cheese dip =) I had Guinness on hand, due to the fact that Wednesday is St. Patrick's day, which means corned beef and cabbage. Side note: Cooking the corned beef in Guinness is AMAZING.

The dip was so easy to make too! About 8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese (grated), 1/2 cup Guinness, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic and about 2 tablespoons of roux. If, you don't want to make a roux, you can put the grated cheese and flour together and dump it into the Guiness to melt, or if you don't know how to make a roux, follow these easy steps.
1. Melt 2 Tbs butter in a pan on medium heat.
2. Add 2 Tbs flour and stir together. The flour and fat are always equal.
2. Stir for about 3 or 4 minutes or until the flour is "cooked" Basically, you don't want it smelling like raw flour and want it more nutty in smell. After this point, the longer you cook it (the darker it gets), the less thickening power the roux will have.
Note: Adding the flour directly to the melty cheese and Guinness will clump up and not thicken as well, which is why I recommend either mixing it with the cheese first, or making the roux.

Cook ingredients for the dip on the stove on low until it is creamy and thick... and then enjoy! It was VERY tasty, which makes me happy because we don't live in Lakewood anymore and sometimes you just want a little beer cheese dip!

P.S. My chicken strips are easy too. Dip the strips in egg, roll in ground pretzel (make sure the pieces aren't too big or they won't stick) and then fry in a pan, then transfer to a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes to finish cooking. Eat with honey mustard and a loved one ;)