I like French fries as a side dish. I can pretty quickly chop up a bunch of potatoes, soak them for a little bit, and then air fry them. But some nights, when I want to go all out, I make this Creamy Cheesy Steak Fries recipe.
We don’t make it all the time because they are pretty rich. The steak fries are covered in a ranch mix, then covered in cheese.
Plain grilled chicken is perfect to serve with these, mostly because if you’re going to make this Creamy Cheesy Steak Fries recipe, you really want it to be the star of your plate.
Creamy Cheesy Steak Fries Recipe
Creamy Cheesy Steak Fries Ingredients:
- Six potatoes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 oz. mozzarella cheese
- 3 oz. cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 sprig green onion
How To Make Creamy Cheesy Steak Fries:
Preheat the oven to 400.
Wash the potatoes and slice them into steak fries. (Tips for this below.)
Soak them in water, with the sugar added, for at least 30 minutes. Rinse them off.
Pat them dry.
Spread them on a foil-lined cookie sheet.
Drizzle one side with olive oil and half the seasoning. Flip. Drizzle the remaining olive oil and seasonings on the other side.
Bake for 40 minutes.
While the streak fries are cooking, mix together the sour cream and ranch dressing.
Shred the cheeses into a separate bowl from the ranch mixture.
When the fries are done, pour the ranch mixture on top of the fries. Use a pair of tongs to flip the fries to make sure both sides are coated.
Spread the shredded cheese over the top.
Bake until the cheese is melted, about five minutes.
While those are in the oven, chop the green onion. Spread the chopped green onion over the fries when they come out of the oven.
Serve warm.
How do you cut steak fries?
Cutting steak fries is pretty easy.
Take a potato and cut it in half, longwise.
Flip the potato half so it’s cut side down, then, cut those halves in half, longwise. Now you have four quarters.
Flip those cut side up, so you have the point looking at you. Very carefully, cut from the point down, cutting the quarter into two wedges. You’ll end up with eight steak fries per potato.
If you have really large potatoes, you can cut the quarters into three pieces, making 12 steak fries per potato.
Do you have to peel the potatoes?
I don’t peel the potatoes, because I like my steak fries with the skin on them, but either way will work.
If you do leave the skin on, the skin will cook down and will be really soft. So you won’t have a texture issue. Plus, since each fry will have the skin on it, the Creamy Cheesy Steak Fries will look really pretty when you serve them.
Not to mention, you save yourself a lot of time by not peeling them. Just keep in mind that you do want to make sure you really scrub them well if you leave the skin on.
Do you have to soak them?
Potatoes are really starchy. The best way to remove the starch is to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before cooking them.
You don’t want to just soak them in water, though. For the best fries, you want to soak the potatoes in water with a teaspoon of sugar added.
The sugar in the water helps to make the fries crisp while they bake. See, the sugar water creates a barrier for the oil. The fries won’t absorb a ton of oil thanks to the sugar, so they’ll come out crisp instead of soggy.
I always rinse them after soaking them because the water does get kind of murky when they soak, and I like one final rinse to get rid of that.
What is the best type of potato for French fries?
Russet potatoes, also known as Idaho potatoes, are the best potato for French fries. They’re also budget-friendly when you buy them in bulk, so that makes this a pretty cheap side dish.
Can you use frozen fries?
If you’re pressed for time, you can use frozen steak fries in this recipe. Instead of baking according to our directions, be sure to use the directions of the back of the bag. When the fries are done cooking, add the cheese and green onions according to our recipe.
Can you use shredded cheese in these fries?
I’m a big proponent of shredding your own cheese. Let me tell you why.
When you buy bags of shredded cheese, there are preservatives added to the cheese to assure that it stays shredded and doesn’t turn into a big ball of cheese in your fridge.
That’s great when you want the cheese to stay that way, but it prevents the cheese from melting really well when you actually want it to melt, like in this recipe.
If you invest in a good cheese grater, it’ll only take you a couple minutes to shred cheese and it’s definitely worth it.
Can you use different types of fries in this recipe?
If you really wanted to, you could use other types of fries (waffle fries, crinkle cut fries, etc.) to make this cheese fries recipe.
The reason I prefer steak fries in this recipe is because they have more surface area, so you’re able to get more of the delicious ranch mixture and cheese on each French fry. But, if you have frozen crinkle cut or straight fries, or just feel like cutting your potatoes into those shapes, those work too.
What to serve with Creamy Cheesy Steak Fries?
These fries have a lot going on, so a plainer protein would be perfect with these. Some good mains to go with these fries are:
- Oven Roasted Chicken
- Grilled Turkey Burgers With Onions
- Pork Rind-Crusted Chicken Fingers
- Bacon-Infused Beef Burgers With Fresh Ground Beef
Would you make this Creamy Cheesy Steak Fries recipe? Let us know in the comments.
Creamy Cheesy Steak Fries
This Creamy Cheesy Steak Fries recipe is the perfect side dish for burgers or chicken. They're covered in ranch, sour cream, cheese, and more.
Ingredients
- 6 potatoes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 oz. mozzarella cheese
- 3 oz. cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 sprig green onion
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Wash the potatoes and slice them into steak fries. Soak them in water, with the sugar added, for at least 30 minutes. Rinse them off. Pat them dry.
- Spread them on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Drizzle one side with olive oil and half the seasoning. Flip. Drizzle the remaining olive oil and seasonings on the other side. Bake for 40 minutes.
- Mix together the sour cream and ranch dressing.
- Shred the cheeses into a separate bowl from the ranch mixture.
- When the fries are done, pour the ranch mixture on top of the fries. Use a pair of tongs to flip the fries to make sure both sides are coated. Spread the shredded cheese over the top. Bake until the cheese is melted, about five minutes.
- Chop the green onion. Spread the chopped green onion over the fries when they come out of the oven.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 615Total Fat 35gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 63mgSodium 1107mgCarbohydrates 61gFiber 6gSugar 7gProtein 17g