, Buffalo Ranch Fries

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Buffalo Ranch Fries

Jason’s aunt used to own one of the Charley’s Grilled Subs franchises so he spent many of his summers working there to make some extra cash. During his time there he managed to try almost every single menu item, and what he liked most was the buffalo ranch fries. I’ve actually tried them myself and they’re pretty darn good.

So when Jason moved back home about 3 weeks ago, he asked me if I could recreate these fries. It sounded simple enough since I could just grab some frozen Orelda fries, bake them in the oven and top them off with some ranch and buffalo sauce. Easy peasy, right? But then I thought about how I could make this even better than what he’s used to having.

That’s when the amazing Lauren came to my rescue. She recently posted these Pommes Frites recipe, which is a double-fried french fry recipe. I followed it exactly as is, which helped create the most crisp yet fluffy homemade french fries ever. Then I topped these babies off with an amazing homemade ranch sauce, hot sauce, and crumbled gorgonzola. I would’ve gone a step further and added crumbled bacon but since we had a huge serving of bacon earlier in the day, I thought I’d cut back on the artery-clogging goodness.

When Jason took his first bite of the finished product, he immediately said, “This is SO much better!” I’m not sure if it was actually better but at that point, it didn’t even mater to me. We both sat there scarfing down these fries. I just wish I had added the bacon though.

Anyway, let’s get started on this. You’ll need to make the ranch dressing first, which includes a line-up of mayo, sour cream, garlic, dill, parsley, salt and pepper.

Give it a good stir, then leave it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. The leftover ranch will be good for a week.

Then go ahead and soak the potatoes. This removes the excess starch, prevents them from sticking together, and stops the oxidizing process. You can soak them for about 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. I only did them for 30 minutes of course.

Make sure to drain them well, patting them dry with paper towels.

Have some peanut oil on hand. I know it’s a bit pricey but I bought a case of 6 from Amazon, which saved me a lot of money.

Add enough peanut oil to a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot so there’s at least 1-inch of oil above the potatoes. Make sure the oil reaches to about 350 degrees F.

Since this is just round 1 of the frying process, we’re just going to cook the fries until they’re tender on the inside but not brown. It should only take about 4-5 minutes.

Then comes round 2. Increase the temperature to 400 degrees F and then fry the potatoes again but this time, we’re frying them until they’re golden brown and crispy. This’ll be quick and should only take about 2 minutes.

Be sure to drain these on a paper-towel lined plate.

You can certainly eat them as is or…

you can liberally drizzle them with that homemade ranch dresing you made earlier, some hot sauce like Frank’s Red Hot and crumbled gorgonzola. I’d definitely go with the latter.

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Buffalo Ranch Fries (adapted from Lauren’s Latest):

Yields 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch thick fries
1 1/2 pints peanut oil
Kosher salt, to taste
Ranch dressing, for drizzling
Hot sauce, for drizzling
Crumbled gorgonzola, for serving

Homemade Ranch Dressing (adapted from foodess):

Yields 1 cup

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream, plain yogurt or buttermilk
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

To make the ranch dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, dill, parsley, salt and pepper, to taste in a small bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl with water, soak the potatoes to remove the excess starch, about 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Drain well and pat dry to remove excess water.

Heat peanut oil in a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot to 350 degrees F.

Add the potatoes and par cook until light brown, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Increase oil temperature to 400 degrees F. Add the potatoes again and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve immediately, drizzled with ranch dressing, Frank’s Red Hot, and crumbled gorgonzola.

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