Watching the Euros final? Check out our match-ready recipes

Fully loaded nachos, a frying pan pizza and a spicy chicken burger

A football feast that promises to be a crowd-pleaser.

It doesn't matter who you are cheering for tonight - the final of the Euros deserves a football feast. These recipes are easily eaten in hand and will impress your guests with little effort. 

Fully loaded nachos

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

There are a few elements to this, but they are easy enough, can be made in advance, assembled and finished off in ten minutes

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Mexican

Ingredients

• For the spicy beef and beans:

• 500g lean minced beef

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1 onion

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1 tsp cumin

• 2 tsp chilli powder

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

• ½ tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tin black beans

• 1 ear of corn on the cob

• 400g tortilla chips

• For the salsa:

• 3 medium tomatoes

• 1 garlic clove

• ½ red onion

• 2 green chillies

• 20g fresh coriander

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• salt

• pepper 

• juice of 1 lime

• For the cheese sauce:

• 20g butter

• 250ml milk

• 2 tbsp plain flour

• 150g vintage cheddar, grated

• handful of pickled jalapeno peppers

• salt

• pepper

• For the guacamole:

• 1 ripe avocado

• ½ small white onion

• 1 garlic clove

• juice of ½ lime

• handful of fresh coriander

• flaky sea salt

• ground black pepper 

• To serve:

• sour cream

• grated Cheddar

• pickled jalapeños

• fresh coriander

• lime wedges

Method

1. Warm a frying pan over high heat. Stand the cob of corn on one end in a bowl and using a sharp knife, carefully slice away all the kernels. Pop the corn into the dry hot pan, do not use any oil, and cook over a high heat, tossing them regularly until they begin to blacken a little. Do not overcook them, you want them a little charred but still crisp and juicy. This will only take a few minutes. When they are done, set them aside.

2. Finely slice the onion and grate three cloves of garlic. Heat the oil in the pan you used for the corn and then add the onions. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until they are soft. Add the garlic and cook for another two to three minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beef. Cook for another few minutes and then add the cumin, chill powder and the oregano. Cook until the meat is well browned, stirring occasionally. Add the beans and warm them through. Set aside while you make the rest of the dish.

3. Next, make the salsa. Roughly chop the tomatoes, removing the stalks. Do the same with the chillies, leaving in the seeds if you want the salsa to be hot and spicy. Roughly chop the onion, the garlic, and the coriander. You should use the stalks of the coriander as well as the leaves as they have lots of flavour. Pop everything into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Do not puree them, you want them finely diced for a good texture. You can dice them by hand if you prefer. Pop everything into a bowl, add the cumin, lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Taste and add more lime juice or seasoning as needed.

4. Time to make the cheeses sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium/low, add the flour, and stir it until the flour is fully incorporated into the butter and forms a smooth paste. This will only take a minute or two. Now add the milk and turn up the heat. Stir continuously as you bring the mixture to a soft boil. As the milk heats, it melts the paste and makes a smooth, creamy sauce. This will take about five to ten minutes. Do not boil the sauce, instead reduce the heat as the sauce thickens and add the cheese. Stir it in well until it melts. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Roughly chop the jalapeno peppers and add them to the cheese sauce.

5. To make the guacamole, simply mash the avocado, add the onion, very finely chopped, and the garlic, finely grated. Season with salt and pepper and add the lime juice and the coriander. Mix it well.

6. Heat your oven to 180ºC and put the tortilla chips on a non-stick baking tray. Bake for about three minutes, this will avoid them getting too soggy when you add the toppings. Warm the spicy beef and beans through. Spread them over the centre of the tortilla chips and then add the blackened corn and a generous amount of grated cheddar. Put the tray under a hot grill until the cheese is melted and bubbly, being careful not to burn the tortilla chips.

7. Serve up with a few scoops of the guacamole, some sour cream, even more pickled jalapenos, lime wedges and a little chopped coriander. Warm the cheese sauce through and serve it and the salsa on the side in a few little bowls.

Korean fried chicken burger

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

This chicken burger served with cheese, lettuce and spicy apple is delicious with spicy mayo on a warm brioche bun

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Korean

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts

• 30ml rice wine

• 2 garlic cloves 

• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

• 250g cornflour

• 4 brioche buns

• 8 potatoes

• 4 tbsp Mayonnaise

• 4 tbsp Gochujang chilli sauce

• 3 tbsp ketchup

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 50g honey

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• To serve:

• Little gem lettuce

• grated Cheddar

• For the Ssamjang (optional):

• 80g Korean soybean paste or miso

• 2 tbsp gochujang

• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 tbsp finely chopped onion

• 20g flaked almonds

• ½ apple, cored and finely chopped

Method

1. Flatten the chicken breasts a little. I use a rolling pin to do this, just pound them gently to make them a uniform thickness. Grate the garlic, pop it into a bowl with the rice wine and ginger. Cut the chicken breasts in half, add them to the bowl and stir to cover with the marinade. Let them marinate for about 30 minutes.

2. Now make the pickled cucumber. Warm 60ml rice or white wine vinegar in a small pan, add one teaspoon of sesame oil, one teaspoon of Korean red pepper flakes or ordinary chilli flakes and one tablespoon of caster sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Thinly slice a cucumber, pop it into a bowl and pour over the vinegar mix.

3. Pop all the ingredients for the ssamjang into a food processor and blitz until smooth. This will only take a minute or two. It is optional, but it really adds something special to this dish.

4. Peel a few potatoes per person and cut them into two-centimetre cubes. Toss them in a little olive oil and roast in an air fryer or oven at 200ºC until golden brown. Heat one litre of sunflower oil to 180ºC. Dredge the chicken pieces one at a time in the cornflour. Carefully lower them into the hot fat, one-by-one. Do not crowd the pan, you will need to do this in batches of three pieces or so at a time. Fry them for five minutes. After five minutes, let the chicken drain on a rack over a tray or on some kitchen paper. 

5. While the chicken is frying, toast the burger buns lightly. Make a sauce for the side serving of chicken and the potato by mixing the ketchup, two tablespoons of gochujang, two grated cloves of garlic, the soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, and sesame oil in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the mayonnaise and the last two tablespoons of gochujang. Now fry the chicken again for another two minutes. Plate up.

6. Put some lettuce on each bun along with some pickled cucumber. Next, put on a piece of chicken, add some of the gochujang mayo and some grated cheddar. Toss the potatoes in a little of the sauce you made earlier. Sprinkle with some toasted sesame seeds and some chopped spring onion. Serve on the side along with another piece of chicken and a little dish of the sauce.

Cashel Blue, caramelised onion and thyme pizza

recipe by:Darina Allen

Creamy Cashel Blue compliments the herb toppings and caramelised onion of this crusty, homemade pizza, perfect for kids in the kitchen

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 3 hours 0 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 3 hours 20 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 6g fresh yeast

• 200ml tepid water

• 100g plain white flour

• 20g butter

• 2 onions, peeled, quartered and sliced thinly

• 50ml olive oil

• 150g Cashel Blue cheese, or other strong blue cheese

• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Put the fresh yeast into a small bowl and cover with 100ml of the water and leave to dissolve for 5 minutes.

2. Place the flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre and pour the dissolved yeast in. Add a pinch of salt and mix in the flour from the sides.

3. Add 100ml of water and mix into a dough.

4. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by pushing the dough away from the back of your hand until you reach a light consistency.

5. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a tea towel and place in a warm place for approximately 3 hours to allow the dough to rise. While the dough is rising, you can get your toppings ready.

6. Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add in the butter. When the butter has melted add in the onions, cover and leave to sweat for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid, turn up the heat and stir the onions until they become lovely and brown.

7. Tip the onions into a bowl and leave to cool.

8. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

9. When the dough has risen tip out onto a floured board and roll out to make a circular pizza shape.

10. Brush the pizza base with some olive oil, spread the onions out all over the base, crumble the blue cheese on top, and sprinkle over the finely chopped thyme.

11. Season with salt and pepper, then place in the oven for 20 minutes.

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