French fries, done well, are truly one of life’s greatest pleasures. Crispy on the outside, pillowy and potato-y on the inside, they can be eaten plain, with , or loaded with toppings. As an homage to what we recognize as the perfect side dish, we’ve rounded up some of our best recipes, including a (yes, please) and dusted with fresh herbs and Pecorino Romano. Read on for our absolute favorite French fry riffs.
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Poutine
Carson Downing / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabriel Greco
Poutine is arguably one of the best-known dishes in Canada, featuring French fries tossed with warm Cheddar cheese curds and topped with a rich gravy. These fries are crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside, and well worth the effort to make them.
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Classic British Chips
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
These Triple-Cooked Chips are french fries made with potatoes that are boiled and then fried twice, so they are fluffy and tender inside and extra crispy on the outside.
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Sweet Potato Oven Fries
Matt Taylor-Gross
These sweet-salty oven sweet potato fries are ready in 35 minutes. Thick wedges similar to steak fries, the sweet potatoes caramelize in the oven to emerge beautifully browned.
Kwame’s Waffle Fries
These were a crowd favorite during 2019 F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s pop-up days. Season the waffle fries with berbere salt, an Ethiopian spice blend that brings a citrusy sweet heat to the fried spuds.
Oven Fries with Herbs and Pecorino
Made with starchy baking potatoes — flavored with garlic, fresh herbs, and Pecorino Romano cheese — and tossed with just a little extra-virgin olive oil, these fries emerge from the oven crisp and delicious.
French Fries with Bulgogi and Caramelized Kimchi
For his famous late-night snack, Austin’s Chi’Lantro chef-owner Jae Kim tops hot French fries with caramelized kimchi, grilled Korean-style beef, and a mayonnaise spiked with sriracha.
Thrice-Cooked Fries
With April Bloomfield’s recipe from The Breslin, boiling makes the potatoes tender; double-frying makes them unbelievably crispy.
Pimiento Cheese Fries
To take his French fries over the top, chef Jonathon Sawyer broils them with a tequila-spiked pimiento cheese topping. It’s wonderfully decadent melted into the fries and also excellent as a dip.
Pommes Frites
© Lucas Allen
Chef Jonathon Sawyer is something of a French fry expert: There were never fewer than three kinds on his menu at the beloved, now-closed Greenhouse Tavern. This version, tossed with chopped garlic and herbs, is his most straightforward. At the restaurant, he served the fries with garlicky aïoli.
Currywurst Poutine
Currywurst is a traditional dish of bratwurst served with curry ketchup and a side of fries. Here, Justin Chapple turns that into a variation on poutine, the Canadian dish combining French fries with cheese curds and gravy. In his version, crispy fries get piled with creamy cheese sauce, juicy bratwurst, and curry ketchup.
Louisiana Cheese Fries with Crayfish and Gravy
In chef Kelly English’s Southern variation on Canadian poutine, the fries are topped with spicy pimiento cheese, andouille gravy, and crawfish, crab, or shrimp.
Basque Steak Fries
© David Tsay
Chef Gerald Hirigoyen tosses wedges of fried Yukon Gold potatoes with plenty of Piment d’Espelette, a smoky Basque chile powder, to give the crispy potatoes a slightly spicy kick.