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The Ten
You Want Fries on That?
Try one of these twists on the old familiar french fry
The humble french fry. So often taken for granted, it’s usually relegated to the outskirts of your plate with nothing more than a puddle of ketchup as accompaniment. But some—Canadians, for example—have taken the ubiquitous deep-fried potato stick and daringly combined it with other components of a meal to build entirely new dishes, turning what is already a guilty pleasure into a capital offense. The french fry has more range than you might realize.
2. Poutine
Photo by Joe Shiabotnik
Photo by Joe Shiabotnik
3. Chili Cheese Fries
Photo by Jonathan Almero
Photo by Jonathan Almero
6. Carne Asada Fries
Photo by Thai Yin
Photo by Thai Yin
10. Animal Style Fries
Photo by Steve Schroeder
Photo by Steve Schroeder
1. Belgian Frites. The original, perhaps the best, gets pride of placement on this list for its pure simplicity. Typically served in paper cones, the European frite is deep-fried in animal fat for a richer flavor and topped with a slathering of mayonnaise. An alternate dipping option is a mix of mayo with chopped pickles, tomato paste, and hot sauce, called, for no apparent reason, sauce Americaine (not to be confused with the classic French lobster sauce).
2. Poutine. This Québecois dish of thick-cut fries drowned in gravy and topped with gooey curds of cheddar cheese has been called one of the world’s least healthy foods. A version found in New York and New Jersey—substituting melted cheese for the curds—is called disco fries.
3. Chili Cheese Fries. Like so many of these variations, this classic late-night guilty pleasure is best after a beer (or five).
4. The Primanti Bros. Sandwich. At Pittsburgh’s venerable Primanti Bros. restaurant chain, fries come standard—not next to the sandwich but on it. Coleslaw, too. The monster sub was created back in the 1930s for dockworkers who wanted a meal they could devour on the job.
5. The Garbage Plate. This monstrosity originated at Nick Tahou Hots in Rochester, New York. It consists of a meat selection (hot dog, beef patty, sausage, or any number of others) topped with french fries coated in macaroni and mayonnaise, then finished off with cheese, mustard, horseradish, and hot sauce. According to one Chowhound, it “will give you heartburn for about 72 hours.”
6. Carne Asada Fries. A San Diego specialty, this dish is the perfect mix of Mexican and American staple junk foods: fries covered in grilled steak strips, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream; sometimes served with pico de gallo salsa on top.
7. The Horseshoe Sandwich. This artery-clogger (is a trend emerging here?) from Springfield, Illinois, starts with one or two pieces of toast, topped with a fried ham steak or burger patties, scattered liberally with fries, and coated with a special cheese sauce (special meaning Velveeta-based or sometimes a more proprietary mix of real cheese, beer, and Worcestershire sauce).
8. The Chip Butty. The British contribution to the (dubious) evolution of the french fry is simply a sandwich filled with thick-cut fries and a condiment or two—traditional choices include ketchup, gravy, and brown sauce.
9. Urban Fries. Jack’s Urban Eats in Sacramento, California, appears to have developed this dish, featuring french fries drizzled in blue cheese salad dressing and chile oil.
10. Animal Style Fries. Unique to the In-N-Out Burger chain (notorious for its secret menu). Your fries will come topped with melted American cheese, grilled onions, and a jumbo squirt of In-N-Out’s “secret sauce” (which bears a strong resemblance to Thousand Island dressing).
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poutine is not made with cheddar cheese. it is made with cheese curds.
After living in southern CA for 3 years and moving back to the midwest, I can honestly say that the food I miss the most is animal style fries!!! Why, oh why, won't In-N-Out come East of the Mississippi??
Primanti's doesn't have the lock on fries on the food instead of with the food...in Pittsburgh they'll put fries on anything. Fries on a salad are standard at most mid to low price restaurants.
Actually, milkshake1220, it says "gooey curds of cheddar cheese." Cheddar curds are standard for poutine, as I understand it, though there are plenty of regional variations. What say you, Canadians?
Before it becomes cheddar cheese as we know it, you get the curd and whey. You press the curd into blocks and you get the familiar cheddar cheese.
You can have other types of curds (just look at cottage cheese), so the description of "gooey curds of cheddar cheese" is right on.
When I was growing up, the restaurant I worked at had an employee dish we'd all like to eat. Dover Fries, a plate of fries topped with shepherds pie filling then topped liberally with cheddar cheese. I'm longing for it as I type this!
you will also find belgian frites with a peanut sauce that beats the mayo mess by a mile.... also, where is the classic fries-and-gravy (forget the disco cheese, says the cat from NJ)?... also also, covering fries with or putting them into anything doesn't exactly make it a novel idea.. animal fries? garbage plate? get serious... sounds like a dare at a frat party
Seriously...this has got to be stoner food: chili cheese fries burrito at Wienershnitzel! Imagine: skinny fries topped with that "chili" sauce and a slice of American cheese, all bundled up in a flour tortilla. It just seems so wrong.
i think regan's awesome concoction of sea salt and vinager chips + Franks Red Hot Sauce could come into play here. Franks is good on anything.
And im sold on the carne asada fries. Just make then Chorizo or Carnitas fries, and i may move to San Diego.
A little pizza and sub place in Brooklyn (Rocky's I think, but it's been 10 years since I lived up there) did the sub shop standard of potatoandegg sandwich with french fries instead of potatoes.
Deeelicious.
In France they also serve a baguette stuffed with either sausage or gyro meat (donner kebab), and FRIES. with white or red sauce. this is what i miss the most from my time in Marseille!
and poutine sucks. bad. this i learned in montreal.
I own a shirt that says "Pittsburghers do it with french fries on top."
But oh... the Primanti Bros. sandwich... there really is no substitute.
In Denmark, there is this really awsome sauce that is usually eaten with fries - called Remolade. It's a mayo like condiment with a little curry and sweet pickles. There is also something called a sausage mix, where pieces of hot dogs are fried with the fries. Curry ketchup, onions, and pickles are then smothered over the mixture - yum yum!
Fromage en grain, the Quebecois name for cheese curds, can be either Cheddar, Gouda or Swiss. In reality, it is neither because the cheese is never pressed nor aged. It is just fresh cheese curd.
Ghetto Fries at Max's in Chicago: fries, BBQ sauce, onions, Italian beef gravy, giardiniera, Merkt's cheddar
http://cateringbymaxs.com/maxs_menu.htm
As a kid in Miami my grandparents would take me to this Cuban place, Lila's...Marinated cube steak seared on a griddle and topped with shoestring fries. Ay caramba!
Could everyone at chowhound please stop reporting or implying that poutine is ONLY available in Quebec? Yes, it's indubitably FROM there, but it's a staple EVERYWHERE in Canada.
the spanish also love fries: as a bar snack- medium cut well browned, served with aioli, curry mayo, and ketchup. lots of salt.
also served with every meal in the south, the classic main meal of the day is soup, followed by fried eggs and french fries fried in olive oil.