Indulgent Bacon and cheese fries with ranch sauce
French fries are a staple in many different cuisines and can be combined with multiple ingredients for a winner dish.
In this recipe we will show you a homemade adaptation of a popular starter from a Spanish chain (Foster’s Hollywood). It is the result of a lot of trial and error and, although they are not identical to the original, they are spectacular.
Bacon and cheese fries with ranch sauce
This amazing recipe will be a complete success for an evening with friends or if you want to indulge yourself for once. The homemade ranch sauce couples amazingly well with the grated cheese, and the crunchy bacon adds both texture and an excellent flavour.
Ingredients
- 400 g french fries preferably frozen
- 200 g bacon lardons or small strips
- 120 g grated cheese we use 60 g cheddar, 60 g mozzarella
- vegetable oil for frying
- 125 mL milk check tips at the end of this recipe
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon
- 60 mL mayo
- 60 mL cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives optional
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the milk in the microwave for just 30 s and add the lemon.This has to rest 10-15 minutes minimum.In the meantime we can continue with the rest of ingredients.
- While the milk is resting, pre-heat the oven at 200°C /392 F.Then, cook the bacon in a pan without any oil until it has just a little bit of browning.Whilst this is cooking it is possible to start frying the fries as long as it is ensured that the meat doesn’t get burnt.Once the bacon is ready, remove from the heat and strain to remove any excess oil.
- In a frying pan, add vegetable oil and once it reaches 160°C /320 F, fry the potatoes.Prepare some kitchen towel or a grid to ensure there is no excess oil when removing the fries from the pan.Fry all the potatoes.
- Once both the fries and the bacon are ready and the milk has rested for 10-15 min, it is the moment to prepare the ranch sauce.To do it, add mayo and cream to the milk mixture.
- Incorporate to the sauce the chives, garlic powder and onion powder. Combine very well to get a homogeneous mixture.Add salt and pepper to taste until you get the desired flavour. If you want it to be sweeter, you can add a bit more of mayo.
- Now it is just about putting everything together in an oven-proof recipient to bake.Firstly, add a few tablespoons of the ranch sauce and same cheese on top.
- Then, add the fries, more ranch sauce, cheese and finally the bacon.
- Place the recipient in the oven for around 7 minutes (or until the cheese has melted completely) and then turn the grill on for 3 additional minutes to get some browning and crispy texture in the cheese.The first time you prepare this dish it might be good to check often how the dish is cooking to ensure you don’t burn it.Once ready, remove the recipient from the oven and let it cool down for 5 minutes.And…¡that’s it! I hope you enjoy this simple and indulgent recipe.
Notes
- Instead of milk and lemon, you can use 125 mL of buttermilk and will not need to let it rest to prepare the ranch sauce.
Love this! I’m missing American’s ranch and this is a great substitute. This dish for a cheat dinner 😋
Tara, we aren’t as used to American ranch as you are so these words mean a lot to us. Hopefully it’ll be more accessible in Europe in the future.