French Fry Diary 659: Cape Cod Waffle Cut Barbeque Ranch Potato Chips

When I first saw these at Rastelli's, I must admit I was pretty angry. The store had gone from a place I would go because they had Charles Chips to a place I likely wouldn't go otherwise. Oh, they still carry Charles, but only in the $14 tin cans.

I was vowing to never come back unless this changed when I saw the Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips in the Waffle Cut Barbeque Ranch variety. They were worth a try, even though of course there was no guarantee that Rastelli's would ever have them again.

I had tried the Sea Salt flavor a couple years ago and praised the dippability factor of these chips. They are still aces in that department, very thick and still better than Herr's Lattice Cut chips. The barbeque flavor is solid and smoky, so the chips are good whether you dip them or not.

French Fry Diary 609: McDonald's Shakin' Flavor Fries

I finally got a chance to go over to the local McDonald's and try their new Shakin' Flavor Fries. The first thing I noticed was that there was no difference in price for a regular size fries and a regular size Shakin' Flavor version. That's a definite plus.

Shaker fries are a big deal in Asia and the South Pacific, usually with exotic flavors like seaweed. The flavors available at American McDonald's are Garlic Parmesan, Zesty Ranch and Spicy Buffalo. Guess which one I chose? I went with the buffalo as it was the closest to barbecue. I wish they had just a regular barbecue, or a cheddar like Burger King had when they did their Shake 'Em Up Fries.

The special shaking bag comes with directions that are fairly simple, and trust me, when you've done it once, you won't need to consult the directions again. It's easy. Put some fries in the bag, put some seasoning in, close the bag, shake it up, baby, and you're done, easy-peasy.

The shaking process gives the fries a pretty thorough coating. The Spicy Buffalo has a solid bite to it. I wasn't expecting that kind of heat based on how pedestrian Mickey D's nugget dipping sauces are, for instance. There's more burn to this than actual buffalo flavor. The fries of course are just as good as always.

As I mentioned above I wish there were more than just the three flavor seasonings available, but let's see if they last first. The trend these days with fast food is to only offer the good stuff on a temporary basis.

McDonald's Seasonings

Although it's business as usual in the rest of the world, McDonald's is bringing seasonings to some of their fries in the United States. The good news (or bad?) is that they will be pushing more traditional flavors here in the States, like Garlic Parmesan, Zesty Ranch and Spicy Buffalo. These will be done shaker style, as in you do it yourself.

So if you're looking for seaweed, curry, or something more exotic, you'll have to go to a McDonald's on the Asian continent or somewhere in the Pacific. In the meantime, check your local Mickey D's to see if they have them yet, or if they are participating, as it's only in certain areas.

French Fry Diary 593: Weight Watchers Smart Ones

I'm not a good diet guy, besides the obvious fact that I write a French fry blog, I think many diet versions of foods lack fundamental taste. I don't mind low fat pancake syrup. Regular Jell-O is better than the no sugar stuff but I'll still eat it. Of course, on the other hand anything other than whole milk tastes like flavorless white water, and surely urine is yummier than Diet Coke.

Anyway, I've done Weight Watchers before, and didn't do too bad at it. The Bride currently does a steady diet of WW Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine microwave meals. While shopping for her I found something of interest to both me, and the blog - Smart Ones French fries.

The two meals in question are Chicken Strips & Fries, and the more traditional Fish & Chips. It should be noted that these aren't the regular TV dinner style nukables, but microwave trays like the Ore-Ida Easy Fries use.

The Fish & Chips included 'salt & pepper crinkle cut french (sp) fried potatoes.' Pretty standard crinkle cuts with duh, salt and pepper. The Chicken Strips & Fries included 'ranch seasoned french (sp) fried potatoes.' Other than Weight Watchers' insistence on not capitalizing the word 'French,' these were pretty good. Natural cuts that were somewhere between regular cuts and shoestrings, these were a little limp but still good. They needed seasoning, so obviously I didn't taste the ranch seasoning. These were not bad at all.

Rachel Ray's Baked Chili Fries

This week's Food Network Friday is from "30 Minute Meals" starring Rachel Ray. The episode called "Put Me In Coach" features her recipe for baked fresh chili fries. Check it out!

Bacon Cheese Fries... Or Are They?

This Quick Cooking recipe from Taste of Home isn't really what it sounds like. It seems like it should be a finger food, is even referenced as a finger food, but is in reality a casserole-type dish. Here you go:

Bacon Cheese Fries
Quick Cooking

"These tempting potatoes are one finger food I can make a meal of," informs Marilyn Dutkus of Laguna Beach, California. "Quick to fix, they're a hit at parties and as a snack. Ranch dressing is a tasty alternative to sour cream."

SERVINGS: 8-10
CATEGORY: Appetizer
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep/Total Time: 25 min.

Ingredients:
1 package (32 ounces) frozen French fried potatoes
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
Ranch salad dressing

Directions:
Cook French fries according to package directions.
Place fries on a broiler-proof dish or platter.
Sprinkle with cheese, onions and bacon.
Broil for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Serve with ranch dressing.
Yield: 8-10 servings.

Nutrition Facts
One serving:(1 each)
Calories: 218 Fat:11 g Saturated Fat:4 g Cholesterol: 14 mg Sodium:180 mg Carbohydrate: 25 g Fiber:2 g Protein:6 g

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Bacon-Cheese-Fries