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We grew potatoes in our garden for the first time this summer and it was so fun to harvest them! Our daughter got the biggest kick out of digging through the dirt of our garden beds and finding each new potato – it was like a treasure hunt for her!
So with a bowl full of freshly-harvested, home-grown potatoes, we couldn’t wait to give them a try! We had a few days of cool and rainy weather last week, so comfort food was on the menu – and these decadent and delicious, Loaded Pub Fries really hit the spot!
To make our loaded pub fries, we start by frying up some slices of bacon for crumbling on top of the finished fries. But we save the rendered bacon fat and use that, along with some melted butter, to coat the potato wedges before baking. The bacon fat adds a ton of flavor, but what really elevates these loaded pub fries to a whole new level is that they are also seasoned with a touch of smoked paprika – giving the finished fries a gentle hint of smoky flavor that is just perfect with the bacon and cheese topping on the potatoes!
We also use a combination of sharp cheddar cheese as well as Manchego, a wonderful sheep’s milk cheese with a distinctive sweet and mellow flavor. Although using Manchego is not mandatory for these loaded pub fries –try to use it if you can because the flavor combination with the bacon and smoked paprika is really out of this world! Enjoy!
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Loaded Pub Fries
Ingredients
- 12 slices bacon, cooked crisp (reserve 1 tablespoon bacon fat)
- 2 pounds all-purpose potatoes
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 ounces Manchego cheese, shredded
- 2 medium scallions diced
- Sour cream for garnish
Instructions
- Cook bacon crisp and rough chop. Set aside. Reserve one tablespoon of the bacon fat.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut potatoes into wedges. Since all-purpose potatoes vary in size, try to keep the wedges uniform. You may get 8 wedges from one but 16 from another. Place potatoes in large bowl and add bacon fat, melted butter, salt, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Toss well to coat.
- Pour out potatoes onto a sheet pan in a single layer and roast for 15 minutes. Flip and roast for another 10-15 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
- Mound the potatoes into four piles. Cover each pile with the Machego cheese, then bacon then the cheddar cheese. Place the pan back in the over for 2-3 minutes to melt the cheese. Alternatively, keep the fries in a single layer and cover with both cheese types and bacon and again place back in oven for 2-3 minutes to melt cheese.
- If serving individual servings, place each portion on a small plate, sprinkle with scallions and place a dollop of sour cream on top. If serving family style, slide fries onto platter, sprinkle with scallions and place several dollops of sour cream on top.
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Oh my! Love that I’ve found your blog!! So many wonderful dishes; baking these fries as well as your Atlantic Beach pie for dinner:) cannot wait !! Loved the photos of your daughter digging up the potatoes; simply precious! Never too soon to teach our little ones where and how food gets to the table.
We’re so glad you found us Dee – and I hope you enjoy all of the recipes! (I remember that day with our daughter so clearly! It was like a treasure hunt for her!) 🙂
These are so delicious. What do you eat with these potatoes? I have a brain block at the moment.
Hi Sue – We eat these more as an appetizer, but I once ate some leftovers with an egg for breakfast (!) and you could definitely eat these as a side dish with burgers, grilled chicken, a salad…hope that helps!
YUM!!! They look so delicious with all the bacon and cheese!!!
Thank you!
oh man…i’ve had these bookmarked for awhile and last night finally got around to making them. they were so good! i used a mix of young gruyere & monterey jack cheese as that’s what i had. even my partner who likes potatoes well enough but isn’t really over the moon about them kept going back for more. (but how could you not like potatoes cooked in bacon fat and topped with more bacon, and cheese…) we had them with some steak tips and a green salad…you know, for balance 😉
anyway, i’ll definitely be making these again. thanks for the recipe!
You’re very welcome Stephanie! (I agree – how can you go wrong with potatoes, bacon and cheese!) 🙂 So glad you both enjoyed the recipe!
These do look amazing, although incredibly unhealthy what with all the bacon, cheese and sour cream so, for me, they’d have to be a special treat 🙂 Gorgeous photos too, btw.
Thanks Leo! And yes – you are absolutely correct – this definitely isn’t a recipe for when you are watching what you eat!