Carne Asada Fries are like a southwest version of loaded steak fries piled high with all your favorite Tex-Mex toppings! Crispy seasoned fries topped with juicy carne asada meat, melted cheese, and the works, they’re a popular menu item in San Diego that you can totally make at home!
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Why You’ll Love This Loaded Carne Asada Fries Recipe
- Your New Go-To Game Day Snack. Picture yourself parked on the couch, watching your favorite team play sportsball, enjoying carne asada fries. These are THE snack for game day.
- A Fun Dinner, Too. Not into sportsball? Not into couch snacks? These fries totally work as a dinner option too. They’ve got protein, potatoes are technically a vegetable, and you can pile on the cheese, sour cream, guac, and pico de gallo to make your fries extra filling. (This is one of those “live a little” recipes.)
- Excellent for Meal Planning and Meal Prep. Make a batch of Carne Asada meat, then use half to make Carne Asada Tacos, then the other half to make these fries the next day. Use the same toppings on both.
- Easy to Make. If you’ve made Homemade Fries before, these carne asada fries are basically the same thing—we just add some Tex-Mex seasoning and toppings.
How to Make Carne Asada Fries
The Ingredients
- Carne Asada. Not just for Mexican street tacos! These fries are another delish way to enjoy it.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes. For making the fries. You could also use Russet potatoes if you prefer them for oven fries. It’s up to you!
- Seasonings. Kosher salt, onion powder, and chili powder (adjust the amount to your liking).
- Toppings. Cheese (always and forever), sour cream or Greek yogurt, Guacamole, and pico de gallo or a combination of diced tomatoes and onions. (Quick Pickled Red Onions would be good too!)
The Directions
- Soak the Potatoes. Place the cut fries in a bowl of hot water and let soak for 10 minutes. Required for crispy fries!
- Season. Drain the potatoes, rinse, dry, and then toss with the oil and seasonings.
- Bake. Transfer the fries to a baking sheet and cook in a 450 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Flip. Turn the fries and bake them for 5 to 10 minutes more. Add the cheese and return to the oven until it melts.
- Finish. Top the carne asada fries with the steak and your desired toppings. ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
You can use other fries as a base for this recipe. I recommend using the onion powder and chili powder for seasoning, then follow these recipes for the cooking instructions.
- Air Fryer. Crispy Air Fryer French Fries would be a perfect base.
- Sweet Potato. For more surface area to hold toppings, try these Sweet Potato Wedges. Or, since you’re grilling the carne asada anyway, make Grilled Sweet Potato Fries. Good old-fashioned baked Sweet Potato Fries work too.
- More Fry Options. Go beyond the spud! Try Zucchini Fries, Parsnip Fries, or Yuca Fries.
What to Serve with Carne Asada Fries
- Game Day Appetizers. Smoked Chicken Wings, Mexican Corn Dip, delicious things like that!
- Tex-Mex Favorites. This Black Bean Corn Salad would be an excellent side.
- More Toppings. Cilantro, Salsa Roja, Pickled Jalapeños, and anything else you like on your tacos.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Cut the Fries into Even Sizes. This ensures that they’re all finished baking at the same time and you don’t end up with tiny fries that are blackened to a crisp.
- Dice the Carne Asada Small. This makes for a more balanced bite.
- Don’t Plan on Leftovers. First, there probably won’t be leftovers. You’re going to devour these in one sitting, guaranteed. But also, this isn’t a recipe that stores and reheats well. For the crispiest fries, meltiest cheese, and juiciest steak, enjoy your carne asada fries immediately.
Carne Asada Fries
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Carne Asada Fries are a Tex-Mex twist on loaded steak fries. Crispy seasoned fries smothered in juicy carne asada meat, sour cream, cheese, guac, the works!
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Ingredients
For the Fries:
- ½ recipe Carne Asada
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes scrubbed (about 2½ pounds; I leave the peels on)
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ – 1 teaspoon chili powder
Toppings:
- Shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Guacamole
- Pico de gallo or diced tomatoes and/or onions
Instructions
- Prepare the Carne Asada according to the recipe directions—heads up! It needs to marinade at least 4 hours (if you've already made it and are using leftovers for this recipe, you can reheat it briefly on the stove with a bit of broth, then add to the fries with the cheese). Slice across the grain, then dice into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the fries: To make the fries, place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Place a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven while it heats.
- Slice the potatoes into fries: First, cut into ¼-inch-thick planks, then stack the planks on top of each other and cut into ¼-inch sticks. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and cover with very hot tap water by at least 1 inch. Let sit 10 minutes. This removes the excess starch so the fries will crisp.
- Drain the potatoes and rinse well, then transfer them to a clean dish towel and dry as completely as possible, changing out the towel if needed. Rinse and wipe out the bowl you soaked the potatoes in, then return the potatoes to the bowl. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the salt, onion powder, and chili powder. Toss to coat, making sure the spices and oil are evenly distributed.
- Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the potatoes into a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast the fries in the lower third of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until turning golden underneath. (This is a good time to grill the steak if you haven’t already made it).
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, with a large, sturdy spatula, carefully loosen the fries from the bottom of the pan. Flip them in large sections as best as you can so that the potatoes rotate and brown evenly on all sides (no need to flip every single one). Carefully arrange the potatoes to return them to a single layer. Place the pan back in the oven and continue baking until the fries are as golden and crisp as you like, about 5 to 10 additional minutes.
- Top the fries with cheese, then return to the oven for a minute or two to melt. Top with the asada meat and any other desired toppings. Enjoy immediately.
Video
Notes
- Nutritional information varies depending on the amount and types of toppings you add.
- Cooking time doesn’t include the time needed to make the carne asada.
- TO STORE: If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days (or 1 day if you’ve topped them with guacamole).
- TO REHEAT: Warm up your fries in a 425ºF oven or in the microwave. Note that leftovers won’t be as good as freshly made carne asada fries, but they will be edible.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 (of 4), without leftover carne asada servingCalories: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gPotassium: 726mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 78IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
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Super yummy! I added salsa verde and hot sauce on top. I also doubled the recipe for me and my husband and we had very little left overs. Will definitely make it again.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Kylie! Thank you!
I loved the way the fries turned out so crispy!! The whole dish was yummy!! Damn i wish i would’ve taken a pic but it was too yummy to wait Lol.
Thank you Sofia!
This dish is incredible. I really wouldn’t change a thing about it EXCEPT… The only thing I did differently from the recipe was cook my fries in the air fryer because our oven is broken. I think it still turned out great. Thank you, Erin!
It’s a great way to do it, thanks Pamella!