As lockdown restrictions are lifted, everyone is eager to get social again. As game nights, parties, and dinners appear on the horizon, here’s a brilliant new food to serve: fries boards. By now, you may have gotten sick of the old cheese board and bowls of pretzels and chips. So why not roll out an assortment of fries and a board of dips from ketchup, hummus, guacamole, ranch dressing, sriracha aioli and so much more.
The fries board trend started with Sarah Gim, a Los Angeles-based food blogger behind “The Delicious Life“. In July 2019, she was asked to do a sponsored post with frozen French fries, and she was inspired by the classic charcuterie board.
“Things have gone way beyond just cheese and charcuterie,” Gim said to Insider. “You can really put anything on your board that’s inspiring at the time.”
How to Create a “Charcuterie” French Fries Board
Fortunately, Gim has some tips for everyone else arranging their own fries board. Firstly, get several kinds of fries; five types if possible. She used waffle fries, crinkle fries, steak fries, shoe-string fries, and sweet potato fries. Keep in mind you could change it up with onion rings, tater tots, zucchini fries, curly fries, or your favorite variation.
“You could just do two types, like half shoe-string fries and half sweet potato fries, but that’s nothing special because you could get it anywhere,” Gim said. “I think three to five types of fries just makes it more interesting to look at.”
Secondly, you don’t need to make the fries by yourself; raid the frozen section of your grocery store. Or purchase the fries from a restaurant and assemble them on a board later.
Thirdly, add contrasting colors and tastes, from interesting dips to adding cheese, avocado, veggies, lemon slices, fresh seasonings, or any kind of pretty garnish on the board.
“I like to put cilantro and little tiny jalapeno peppers on the chipotle sweet potato fry because it lets guests know that [the fry] might be a little spicy. Otherwise, it is not always obvious,” Gim said to GMA. “From start to finish, I would say it takes about 25 minutes to cook all of the fries and 15 minutes to pile everything on.”
Let your imagination go wild. As Gim summarized, “Honestly, whatever I can imagine, I put it on the board.” So don’t feel obligated to follow this recipe exactly. Feel free to mix and match any kind of fries you prefer for your board, as well as the dips and garnish. This recipe in particular has fresh vegetables on the board, but you could skip them or add more however you wish.
Epic French Fries Board Recipe
Author: Sandy from The Reluctant Entertainer
Ingredients
- 2 11 oz bags frozen sweet potato fries
- 2 11 oz bags frozen sweet potato waffle fries
- 1 32 oz yellow crinkle potato fries
- 1 32 oz bag tater tots
- 2 11 oz bags frozen onion rings
- 3/4 c sweet chili Thai sauce
- 1 cup barbecue aioli
- 3/4 cup guacamole
- 1 cup buffalo dipping sauce
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1 cup hatch chili cheese dip
- 1 cup snow or snap peas
- 3 stalks celery, cut into sticks
- 2 large bell peppers, cut into strips
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 3 large carrots, peeled, cut into sticks
To garnish:
- Parsley
- Green onion
- Paprika or chili lime salt
- Jalapeno slices
- Blue cheese
Instructions
- Choose between making the fries, onion rings, and tater tots from scratch, from a frozen package, or purchase them from a deli or restaurant Just make sure to make them extra crispy and keep them warm until serving either with foil on top or in the oven on a low temperature. (Use the largest baking sheet you have to ensure the ingredients have enough room to cook properly, and for cooking multiple bags at one time.)
- On a prepared board, arrange the dipping sauces. Optional to garnish the sauces.
- Place down veggies, and then the other fries on the board. Serve hot and enjoy!
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Dip Recipes for the Board
Author: David from Spiced Blog
Ingredients
For the Roasted Garlic Aioli
- 6-8 cloves roasted garlic chopped
- 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the Sriracha Aioli
- 1½ Tbsp sriracha
- large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the Spicy Cajun Dip
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp cream-style horseradish sauce
- 1 Tbsp ketchup
- ½ Tbsp dill pickle juice
- ¼ tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
For the Creamy Buffalo Dip
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 3 Tbsp hot sauce
- 1 Tbsp ketchup
- ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
For the Roasted Garlic Aioli
- Using a medium bowl, add all ingredients.
- Blend with an immersion blender, starting at the bottom of the bowl and slowly lifting the immersion blender until a smooth sauce forms. (If the aioli is too thick, add in another 1–2 tsp of lemon juice.)
For the Sriracha Aioli
- Using a medium bowl, add all ingredients.
- Blend with an immersion blender, starting at the bottom of the bowl and slowly lifting the immersion blender until a smooth sauce forms. (If the aioli is too thick, add in another 1–2 tsp of lemon juice.)
For the Creamy Buffalo Dip
- Using a small bowl, add all ingredients; whisk together until well combined.
For the Spicy Cajun Dip
- Using a small bowl, add all ingredients; whisk together until well combined.
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Sources
- “The ‘french fry board’ is the new cheese plate. Here’s how to make your own Instagram-worthy version at home.” Insider. Darcy Schild. January 31, 2020.
- “What’s better than a cheese board? Enter the French Fry Board.” Good Morning America. Jaley Yamada. January 17, 2020.
