Every fall, as the weather gets cooler and the leaves turn the colors of harvest and drift quietly from the trees, home cooks everywhere start scouring the ‘net for the most important recipes they’ll serve until Thanksgiving: football game day snacks.
And no option feeds a crowd quite so well as a humble platter of cheese fries. But those forkfuls of frozen, crinkle-cut fries topped with cheese sauce of questionable provenance, bacon and green onions and served with a side of appetizer-friendly ranch get boring before preseason ends.
Revitalize your game day spread with cheese fries 2.0, a collection of recipes from around the web that show the true versatility of this folksy gridiron fare. From salty-savory breakfast-for-lunch fries topped with tiny quail eggs to meat-topped, sauce-smothered dishes you could eat as a meal, these recipes prove cheese fries will never get boring.
Double-Baked Fries With Garlic Cheese Sauce & Bacon
Dust double-baked fries with spicy chili-paprika seasoning and top them with a homemade chipotle-garlic cheddar sauce, then top them with crispy bacon and green onions.
Irish Breakfast Nachos
Frozen waffle-cut french fries give this breakfast-style appetizer a heartier texture. If you’re feeling adventurous, sweet potato waffle fries add a little sweetness to cheese fries topped with a fragrant mix of green and red bell peppers and onions, silky white cheddar cheese sauce and runny-yolked eggs.
Black Garlic-Braised Short Rib Poutine
Poutine is a Canadian dish of fries, cheese curds and brown gravy. With its similarity to cheese fries, it’s no wonder it’s becoming so popular in the U.S. This meat-topped poutine levels up with the addition of short ribs braised in red wine seasoned with thyme, ginger and pungent fermented black garlic.
Breakfast Poutine With Hollandaise Sauce
French fries get a little help from their humble, kid-friendly cousin, the tater tot, in this hollandaise-smothered breakfast poutine topped with spicy breakfast sausage, bacon and cheddar cheese curds and topped with a flourish of verdant green onion.
Carne Asada Fries
Whip up a batch of this carne asada or use your own recipe and slow-cook it until it’s charred on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. Cook up your favorite fries, top them with the meat and a drizzle of white queso and sprinkle them with pico de gallo, pickled jalapeños and queso fresco. Serve them up with homemade guac and sour cream or crema.
Loaded Mexican Sweet Potato Cheese Fries
This vegetarian (or vegan if you omit the cheese!) entry features thick-cut sweet potato fries topped with black beans, salsa, optional feta and cilantro, all drizzled with a tangy and cooling cumin-lime crema.
Southern Barbecue Pork & Pimiento Cheese Sauce Fries
Southern cheese fries start with a big batch of pimiento cheese sauce and barbecue pork atop your favorite oven-baked fries. Garnish with a smattering of green onion for a down-home appetizer your guests will love.
Sweet Chili Butter Grilled Lobster Fries With Havarti Cheese Sauce
Top herb-seasoned steak fries with grilled corn and sweet chili butter-tossed grilled lobster and drizzle the whole thing with creamy Havarti cheese sauce for a cheesy high-low fry recipe that’s special but unpretentious.
Ultimate Breakfast Poutine With Crispy Quail Eggs Cheese Curds & Bacon Gravy
Bite-size cheese curds, salty brown gravy and ultra-crispy bacon seem like plenty to make these fries special. But the gooey yolk of tiny quail eggs take this breakfast poutine from special to ultimate.
Baked Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries
For a lighter option, crispy baked garlic-seasoned sweet potato fries sprinkled with nutty Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley are a simple way to enjoy cheese fries without the guilt.
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