Loaded Cheese Fries
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 bag French fries, frozen (about 24 ounces)
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
- 8 ounces of bacon, thick cut
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional
- ¼ cup diced red onions
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeno peppers
- ¼ cup ranch dressing
Instructions
- Preheat your to 450°F (230°C).
- Spread the frozen fries on a baking sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- While the fries bake, in a pan, fry the bacon on medium heat until it is crispy. Place on a paper towel lined plate and remove excess grease. Chop the bacon into pieces and set aside.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese evenly over the fries. Sprinkle with the chopped bacon. Place back into the oven and bake for another 4-6 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Remove the fries from the oven and top them with the other toppings, green onions, cilantro, pickled jalapeños and drizzle with ranch dressing.
- Garnish with additional sliced green onions and cilantro. Serve hot while the cheese is melted.
Notes
We find that getting restaurant style or seasoned fries work the best. They tend to stay crispy the longest and won’t get soggy with all of the ingredients. We used the Ore-Ida Restaurant Style Fries in this recipe.
We like to get blocks of cheese and grate them fresh for these fries. The cheese will melt more evenly and just melt better altogether. We find that pre-grated cheese doesn’t fully melt always but if that doesn’t bother you, then it can be used too.
Variations and substitutions:
Air frying the French fries initially works great too. We love the air fryer for things like fries because it really gets them crispy in a shorter amount of time. 400° for about 8-10 minutes and shake about half way through.
This recipe calls for cheddar and Pepper Jack cheese but your favorite cheeses will work too. Just make sure they melt easily.
The toppings can really be endless for these fries, like pico de Gallo, pickled onions, shredded chicken, beans, sour cream, etc.
Using different French fries, like waffle fries, sweet potato fries, curly fries, steak fries can also make for some delicious dishes.