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Fries Fully Loaded

Topped and loaded and ready to serve.

Recipes and Builds

fries topped with cheese, bacon, ranch, and garnish

Level 1: 30 min Low Calorie, High Protein bacon, Cheddar, Ranch fries.

I love having the freedom to mix and match toppings on my fries depending on my mood, but I also know that the more sophisticated the toppings the longer it takes to build. Plus, having premium fries can be costly in the long run. Luckily I have found a recipe from Ice Karim Cooks for a low calorie, high protein loaded fry dish, that will keep you full without the guilt.

Ingredients:

For the Potatoes
  • 2 Russet Potatoes (Cut into thin fries)
  • Avocado Oil Spray
For the Beef
  • 1lb of Lean Ground beef
  • Salt
  • 2 tsp Taco Seasoning
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 cup Water
For the Bacon
  • 2 Cuts of Bacon, cut and crumbled
The Garnish
  • Low-fat Shredded Cheddar
  • Green Onions, chopped
  • Low-Cal Yogurt Ranch

Steps:

  1. (Optional but recommended) Soak the cut potatoes in an ice bath for 30mins to remove the excess starch, then drain and pat dry.
  2. You can Cook the fries 1 of 2 ways:
  1. Air Fryer: Preheat to 400°F, lightly spray fries with avocado oil, place in basket, and cook for 15 - 20 mins, tossing halfway through until crispy.
  2. Oven: Preheat oven to 425°F, spread fries in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 25 - 30mins, flipping halfway through and cooking till crispy and golden.
  1. While the potatoes cook, cook the beef on a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Adding the beef, season with salt, pepper, taco seasoning, and garlic powder. Cook until browned, and breaking up into pieces.
  2. Add the 1/4 of water and let simmer until liquid is reduced, and remove from the heat to cool.
  3. Take the bacon and fry in the pan or cook in the microwave till crispy. Let cool and cut into pieces.
  4. Assemble by adding the fries to a large dish, sprinkling the cheddar cheese, then beef to let the cheese melt. Top with the green onion, bacon, and low-cal yogurt ranch dressing.
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A basket of fries with steak and shrimp on top layered with a drizzle of cheese

Level 10: Gourmet Queso, Surf and Turf Fries

Now, if you're looking to be the top player in the fry game, you can make this recipe from Eatwitzo. It's a lot more steps which require a lot more care. However, the rewards you will reap after this culinary endeavor will all be worth it in the end. This is definitely one of those combos that will get you all the points at the next dinner party.

Ingredients:

For the Steak and Shrimp
  • 1-2 lb Steak, cubed (Higher cuts for higher quality)
  • 1 lb of large Shrimp
  • 1-2 tsp of chili powder
  • 1-2 tsp oregano
  • 1-2 tsp onion powder
  • 1-2 tsp black pepper
  • 1-2 tsp salt (optional but recommended)
  • 1 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
For the Potatoes
  • 6 -8 large russet potatoes
  • Large Ice Bath
For the Queso
  • 8 oz of Oaxaca cheese
  • 8 oz Blanco Velveeta or Queso Cheese
  • 1/2 cup diced pickled jalapenos
  • 1-2 tsp chili powder

Steps:

For the Fries
  1. Cut the potatoes into your choice of fry, but I recommend crinkle cut. Let soak in the ice bath for at least 30 mins to draw out extra starch.
  2. Remove from water and pat dry. In a pot bring a bath of oil to 300°F and fry for 5 - 6 mins until fully cooked.
  3. Increase the heat to 375°F and fry the fries again for 1-2 mins to get that extra crisp and golden color.
For the Steak
  1. With the cubed steak, season with the chili powder, oregano, onion powder, black pepper, and salt.
  2. In a cast iron or non-stick pan with some oil, throw the steak in at medium - high heat.
  3. 3. Once the meat is nice and seared off, add a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
  4. Set aside.
For the Shrimp
  1. Peel and devein your shrimp if it didn't come like that already.
  2. Season with the same seasoning as the steak. Chili powder, oregano, onion powder, black pepper, and salt.
  3. Toss into an oiled pan, and let sit till fully cooked, tossing regularly.
For the Queso
  1. In a saucepan at medium to low heat add in Oaxaca and Velveeta cheese.
  1. Alternatively: You can add both to a microwave safe dish and heat in 1-minute increments, mixing in between till softened.
  1. Stirring until soften, add in the diced pickled jalapenos and chili powder.
  2. Set aside.

Finally assemble all components on a nice large serving dish. Fries, steak, shrimp, and then cheese. Garnish with some green onion if you like and serve.

A park with people walking and biking along a trail while others having a picnic

A Place to Play and Picnic with Loaded Fries

Growing up in Fort McMurray, this park is where my parents would take me and my siblings to enjoy a family picnic. We would sometimes get burgers and poutine from Burger King and come here to play at the park while my parents relaxed. There's a playground and walking trails along the river.

To get here from the main street (Franklin Ave), turn right onto Hardin St, and continue straight until you see the water. From there it's a right into the park!

Click here for directions to A Nice Place to eat Loaded Fries

What's New & Exciting

a manicured hand grabbing some loaded fries from a plate plate of loaded fries with mozza sticks, and a set of hands ripping another mozza stick in half a plate of loaded fries surrounded by burgers
A bag of golden crinkle cut fries in front of a row of spices

The Best Way to Cook and Enjoy Frozen Fries

When looking for some quick eats, not everyone has the time or resources to take a raw potato and cut them into fries. Or, like myself, find it too tedious and time consuming when bags of frozen fries already exist. The benefits of just using a frozen bag of fries, is that you don't have to put into much thought into which potato to use or what temperature to cook them at. Unless you're a potato pro, I find it's overwhelming to think about when I want a quick eat.

Aside from picking they type of frozen fry to cook, this article consulted a culinary director named RJ Harvey at Potatoes, USA who suggested cooking fries on an elevated oven rack "for the best chance at evenly cooked potatoes, thanks to the circulated airflow".

However I find that while using the oven is a great way to cook them, they take more time and electricity in comparison to an air fryer. Plus, with the smaller basket in an air fryer, it makes it easier to quickly make a single portion.

In addition to the cooking tips, the article also covers 10 recipes to best enjoy frozen fries. They found that adding toppings other than just plain spices was the best way to consume them. They agree that with a few toppings, you can easily turn frozen fries into more than just a snack, but a meal.

I suggest checking out the article yourself as they had some strange combinations they enjoyed, such as salt and pickles which they claimed to mimicked dill pickle chips or topping the fries with a can of sloppy joe and stewed meat chunks. You can explore all the other recipes they tried and see how they ranked at the full article: I tried 10 ways to make frozen fries better, and there are 9 hacks I's absolutely do again.

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