Pulled pork on Sriracha cheddar fries because dreams do come true

I overheard my son telling his friend the other day how October was the best month ever. He’s a little biased, of course, since he was born in October, but he does have a point. Once the autumn months roll along, we dive headfirst into the seemingly endless stretch of food holidays. His birthday leads to Halloween, which takes us to Thanksgiving, and all the eating holidays beyond.

We’re essentially celebrating with food for about five months straight.

In between all these holiday gatherings, we can’t forget game days and all the “just because” reasons families have to get together and have a party, right? It’s those gatherings that I love because there’s less pressure for show-stopping menus — it’s more about sharing cozy, wholesome dishes and just enjoying one another’s company.

When it comes to cozy dishes, who can resist anything cheesy? I know that’s a magic word at our house — especially when we make pulled pork steak fries with Sriracha cheddar.

Fire up the oven for these wholesome, oven-baked steak fries, top them with pulled pork, and make a simple cheddar sauce with rich and creamy Cache Valley Natural Shredded Cheese in Mild Cheddar, and you’ve got a dish that everyone will love digging into. The cheddar shreds make it so easy and transform into a sauce full of dairy goodness. The only thing you have to worry about is whether you made enough!

These steak fries are awesome for game days, a quick meal when all you want is something easy and satisfying, or even movie nights by the fire with the family. Some might say they are the best fries ever to go with the best month ever! At least that’s what my little guy would say.

Pulled pork steak fries with Sriracha cheddar

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds potatoes (2-3 large potatoes; russet, long white or Yukon Gold work well), sliced in half lengthwise and then into wedges
• 3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups Cache Valley Natural Shredded Cheese, Mild Cheddar
• 12 ounces pulled pork
• Sriracha sauce, to taste

Suggested toppings:

• Fresh herbs, such as thyme, cilantro and parsley
• Red onion, chopped
• Scallions, sliced
• Jalapeno slices

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with a rack placed in the center of the oven.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, toss the potato wedges in the olive oil, coating them evenly. Season to taste with salt, pepper and paprika. Place the wedges on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for 25 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from the oven, and while hot, season with a little more salt to taste.
3. While the potatoes are roasting, make the cheddar sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once it is melted, whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick. Slowly stir in the milk, whisking constantly, and let it simmer until you have a fairly thick sauce. Stir in the cheddar cheese. Season the sauce with a little salt and pepper, and stir in Sriracha sauce, to taste. If the sauce becomes too thick, stir in a little more milk to thin it out.
4. To serve, place the steak fries in a dish, top with pulled pork, and drizzle the cheddar sauce on top. Garnish with additional Sriracha, herbs, red onions or your favorite toppings and enjoy immediately.

This post was sponsored by Cache Valley.