Recently, I shared our go-to recipe for football games. This one is a close second.
Every now and then we go to a certain chain restaurant for a totally over-the-top treat: loaded cheese fries. They are so freakin’ good, but not at all good for us. We usually leave feeling satiated and happy, but also rather sluggish and definitely a tad guilty.
I decided that I needed to recreate a dish that would closely resemble the restaurant version without having to fry anything. Enter these oven fries. I perfected my oven fry method after many failed attempts. They never tasted like french fries. They tasted like baked potatoes.
Lucky for you, despite my many failed attempts, I finally figured it out! I took all the methods and tips from the various recipes I tried and combined them into one. The key things are this: soaking your potatoes (SO important), not overcrowding the baking sheets, and cranking your oven temperature almost as high as it will go. If you do this, you’ll end up with crispy, golden fries that TASTE fried every time.
Now, of course, I totally undo my good intentions when I pile on crispy bacon and cheese and dunk them in a vat of ranch dressing…. But there are scallions and jalapeños in the mix too! And they are GREEN! Which means they make this healthy!
I know. I’m not fooling anyone.
No matter what I try to tell myself, this is still a treat dish. We definitely don’t eat this way all the time. But when we do, we are very happy campers. And we don’t have to feel QUITE as guilty as we do when we eat the fried version.
I’ll take it (along with an extra 20 minutes on the treadmill).
Skillet Cheese Fries with Bacon, Pickled Jalapeños, & Ranch
- Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3 large Russet potatoes, washed well and sliced into 1-inch thick wedges
- Olive oil
- 4 strips bacon
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeño peppers, chopped
- ¼ cup scallions, chopped
- Ranch dressing, for serving
Instructions
- Once the potatoes have been washed and cut, rinse very well under cold water to remove the excess starch. Place in a large bowl and cover with very cold water. Allow to sit for 2 hours. Drain the water and rinse off the potatoes. Cover with water again and let sit for another 1-2 hours (the longer you let them sit, the crunchier they will get in the oven. You are removing the excess starch from the potatoes by doing this).
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and line two large rimmed baking sheets with foil. Remove the potatoes from the water and dry very well with towels. Place on prepared baking sheets without overcrowding them. This allows for the air to circulate around the potato and creates crispiness. If you overcrowd the baking sheets, the potatoes will only steam. Drizzle the potato wedges with oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the potato wedges over, and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. They should be browned and crispy.
- Meanwhile, crisp the bacon in a large cast iron skillet. Crumble and reserve a little bit of the bacon grease in the skillet (I get rid of most of it but can’t bring myself to wipe the skillet clean. It’s BACON flavor!). Once the potatoes are done baking, remove from oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Place the fries in the skillet and top with the bacon, cheese, scallions, and jalapeños. I do this in layers: I put a layer of fries down, add half the toppings, and then top that with another layer of fries and another layer of the toppings.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and gooey. Serve immediately directly out of the skillet with ranch dressing on the side.
NOTE:
- I do not peel my potatoes because I LOVE the flavor and texture of the crispy skin, but you can definitely peel them if you prefer skinless spuds. This method works for the nude frenchies as well.
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
Molly, this looks amazing! I’m a sucker for skillet fries. Well…fries in general. One of my favorite restaurants tops theirs with tender braised lamb and feta and it gets me every time. Love this!
Thanks, Laura! OMG, that lamb-feta fry dish sounds incredible! Hmm…maybe I’ll try to create something like that at home sometime…the wheels are turning’ already 🙂
Did u, is it on here?!?
Nope! I actually forgot about this idea. Maybe in 2017! Sounds awesome, doesn’t it?!
This recipe sounds absolutely killer! The pickled jalapeno peppers are the perfect touch!
Thanks, Kailley! They are actually my favorite part (OK, maybe second to the bacon)…
These look awesome! I’m pretty sure my boys would devour these fries!
Thanks, Melanie! They are definitely a crowd pleaser!
Oh yes please! These look amazing.
This baked cheesy fries are making me hungry! (I just had lunch not long ago…) Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by! Your site is beautiful, by the way!
Oh my goodness, this looks fantastic! I just came back from a Grey Cup party, and I wish I saw this before I went. Yum!!
It’s okay to write about “fatty” food without apologizing or talking about guilt. It’s okay. I wish more food writers would ditch this intro style and avoid moralizing foods, acknowledging that it’s possible to enjoy this stuff without hating ourselves. We all like to eat cheesy, bacon-y things, and we could all do each other a favor and go easy on the food shaming.
All the best,
Someone who is recovering from an eating disorder
Thanks for your comment. I wasn’t intending to shame people who enjoy “fatty” foods – I’m one of them! The whole point of this recipe was to make an attempt to lighten a VERY indulgent dish so that it could be enjoyed more frequently. That is all. No shame in that. No shame in eating the real thing either! If you look through my site, you’ll see that I do not hesitate from posting a good mix of healthy and indulgent dishes. It’s a fact (not put forth by ME) that we shouldn’t eat this way all the time. Either way, I sincerely hope you aren’t offended. I love food and am NOT ashamed of it! That’s why I write this blog. Thanks for stopping by!
Oh my goodnessssssss, this looks insane!! I want it now, like now!! 🙁
So excited to finally use my skillet Iin the oven! This is a combination of everything my family loves! Sure to be a hit tonight!
This sounds lovely and really tasty. Thank you for sharing this.
Simon
If you do not mind what temperature do you set the oven to, when baking? is it also 450 degrees?
Yes, same oven temperature from start to finish