This is a dish that reminds me of college. My friends and I started to frequent this sports bar, not because we liked sports, but because they had cheap beer and delicious (and greasy) food. They made these cheese fries that I still think about to this day, so I decided to replicate them.
This cheese sauce is inspired by the Shake Shack cheese fry sauce (which I recommend you order on the side, for some reason it just works better!) I still remember the first time I had their cheese fries and how I immediately became obsessed with the sauce. It is creamy like american cheese but also has a distinct sharpness that comes from cheddar. It is everything I look for in a cheese sauce. You need the consistency of American cheese but the added flavor of the Cheddar completes this sauce.
So I have been trying different ways of making this sauce, and while you can make a roux and melt cheddar it takes a longer time and doesn’t quite deliver the right fake cheese consistency. After tinkering a bit I found that melting cheddar in evaporated milk helped it to melt and reach the right consistency!
Highly recommend serving this with a nice cold beer or even a crisp glass of white wine! Perfect for a night in watching the big game or a movie.
- 1 package of frozen crinkle cut french fries
- 4 Slices of bacon
- 2 Tablespoons of evaporated milk
- 4 oz of cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 Tablespoons of ranch dressing
- Preheat the oven and cook the fries according to the package directions*.
- While the french fries cook, fry up the bacon over medium heat, until crisp. Roughly chop and set aside
- In a small saucepan over low heat add the milk and warm before adding a handful of the cheese, once that melts add the next handful until melted. It should reach the consistency of melted velveeta.
- Plate the fries, I like to start with a layer of fries, pour some cheese sauce, then another layer of fries, cheese sauce and then on the top layer add the bacon.
- The ranch can be kept on the side for dipping or poured on top! It’s personal preference.
