Every once in a while we get a wild hair to create food that is epically decadent. Tuck’s mom had been browsing recipes for bahn mi sandwiches- a traditional Vietnamese sandwich with pork, cilantro, and pickled vegetables- and decided all of those ingredients would taste way better loaded onto baked french fries. What can we say? We play for the tie when it comes to quick, easy recipes and stupidly over the top recipes. We try to keep it interesting!

Taking one look at this ingredient list will show you that this dish has a ton of components. If you aren’t feeling like spending this much time and effort in the kitchen you can easily modify or skip ingredients all together. However, if you go all in you will love this recipe. It’s sweet and spicy, crispy and crunchy…. everything you want from a messy, delicious, mega appetizer. We hope to double it and make it for a giant party once quarantine is over.

Loaded Bahn Mi Fries

Makes: 4 entree servings, 6-8 appetizer servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients for the Fries:

• 3 large russet potatoes
• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
• cilantro, for garnish
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup Sriracha

Ingredients for the Pickled Veggies:

• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 thai chili, left whole

Ingredients for the Pork

• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs Sriracha

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Slice the potatoes into fry shaped sticks. Toss the fries in the vegetable oil and season them with salt and pepper. Lay them in a single layer on a cookie sheet or two and place in the oven. Cook for 25 minutes, or until the fries are crispy on the outside and cooked through the center.
3. While the fries are cooking make the pickled veggies. Combine the ingredients for the pickled veg (carrots- Thai chili) in a medium mixing bowl. Add enough water to the bowl to submerge the vegetables. Set aside until ready to use.
4. After you have completed the picked veg make the ground pork. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook for about 4 minutes. After that time, drain most of the fat away from the pan, reserving about 1 tbs. Add the remaining ingredients (ginger- Sriracha) to the pork and cook another 5 minutes, or until the flavors have combined. Season with salt and pepper as necessary.
5. Lastly, make the Sriracha mayo by combining the two ingredients in a small bowl. Add 1 tbs water if the mayo is too thick to drizzle over the fries.
6. When the potatoes are out of the oven, lay the fries on a large serving platter (we just use the cookie sheet from the potatoes as it becomes a giant mess anyway). Layer the pork on top. Drain the pickled veggies well and scatter them over top. Top with the Sriracha mayo, cucumber, cilantro, and jalapeno to serve.