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Taco Chili Cheese Fries
Taco Cheese Fries Header

Taco Cheese Fries is a Mexican Poutine or Taco Poutine made with Taco Meat over top Golden Crispy Fries with Nacho Cheese Sauce. Topped off with Red Taco Sauce with Sour Cream & Green Onions. Add in some shredded Cheese. Which will really boost the Cheese Flavors.

Try it out for your next Taco Tuesday meal!

Fries

Use store bought Frozen Fries and weigh out 1 lb in a stainless steel bowl. Cooking the Fries in an Air Fryer allows you to use superior Fats like Beef Tallow/Suet or melted Pure Lard. Cook at 400 F for about 30 minutes.

Air Fryer Shoestring Fries in lard

Air Fryer Fries

  • 1 lb Frozen Store bought Fries
  • 1/4 C Melted Lard
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt or more

How to cook Fries in an Air Fryer

  1. Place frozen French Fries into a stainless steel bowl and add Oil or melted Beef Tallow or other forms of fat with the Sea Salt. Toss well to ensure every fry gets coated. Optionally, let thaw 30 minutes.
  2. Place the Fries into the Air Fryer and Air Fry at 400 F for 30 minutes.
  3. Do the next step every time you are tossing the fries. Empty the Fries Back into the Stainless Steel Bowl with the Hot Oil from the bottom of the Air Fryer basket. Toss to coat all the fries and empty back into the Air Fryer to continue cooking.
  4. Toss the Fries at 15, 10, and 5 minutes. The last 5 minutes, toss them around every minute or so. They should be crisp and have good color. Sometimes the Fries don’t need the last few minutes. At which point, as long as the Fries are crisped up with good color, they can be removed from the Air Fryer. Empty the Fries back into the steel bowl without the remaining fat left in the air fryer basket and toss. Optionally Season with other seasonings and serve.

It is the frequent tossing of the Fries & Fat that cooks up the Fries almost like they were deep fried.

Taco Seasoned Fries

Instead of using Salt, season the Fries with Taco Seasoning to taste after the Fries are done. Toss the Fries with the Taco Seasoning as soon as they come out of the Air Fryer and right before plating. This really boosts that Taco Flavor throughout the dish.

The Taco Seasoned Fries can be served just like this as a side or snack. With the Nacho Cheese drizzled over top or in a small dipping bowl for Nacho Cheese Fries.

Taco Meat

One pound of ground Beef mixed with Water & Oats to create that Taco Bell texture to the meat. One Old El Paso Taco Seasoning to flavor the Beef with Tomato Juice or Sauce.

The Oats, Vinegar and Refried Beans are all optional. The key thing to obtain that Taco Bell texture is to combine the Water or Broth to the ground Beef and mix it in really well before cooking it in the skillet. This creates a paste like texture to the meat. Very much like Taco Bell.

Taco Meat Mix Ingredients

Taco Meat

  • 1 lb Ground Beef
  • 1/2 C Water or Broth
  • 3 Tbl Whole Oats
  • 2/3 C Tomato Juice
  • 1 pack Old El Paso Taco Seasoning 
  • 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar – Optional
  • 1-2 Tbl Refried Beans – Optional

How to make Taco Meat

  1. Combine Ground Beef, 1/2 C Water or Broth, Apple Cider Vinegar with Oats and mix really well until all the liquid has been absorbed.
  2. Fry in a skillet over medium-high heat and mix often until all the water has evaporated. Reduce the heat to medium.
  3. Add the Taco Seasoning and mix well. Then add 2/3 C Tomato Juice and mix. Continue to cook for 3–5 minutes and serve.

Nacho Cheese Sauce

The Nacho Cheese Sauce is the Cheese Whiz Sauce with additional ingredients added. Just combine everything except the shredded Cheese into a pot and mix while bringing it to a boil. Once thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the shredded Cheese if using.

For the shredded Cheese, use Cheddar, Tex Mex, or Colby Jack Cheese. Plus more to sprinkle over the Fries before the Nacho Cheese Sauce.

Nacho Cheese Sauce

Nacho Cheese Sauce

  • 3/4 C Water
  • 1/4 C Cream 10%
  • 1/2 C Cheese Whiz
  • 4 tsp Arrowroot
  • 1 Tbl Neutral Oil – or Butter
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Onion powder, Garlic powder, Turmeric, Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Chili Powder, Ancho powder, and Cream of Tartar. – each
  • 1/8 tsp Citric Acid & White Pepper – each
  • 1/2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese – optional, adds thickness and more cheese flavor about 1/2 C or more

If the Nacho Cheese Sauce sits for any length of time. It will thicken up and may need to have the consistency adjusted. When reheating, add in a bit of water to adjust the consistency. Any leftover Nacho Cheese can be covered and stored in the fridge to be reheated later for this dish or Cheese Nachos.

Loaded Taco Cheese Fries

This is the beautiful thing about this dish, it’s built up in layers. First is just the Nacho Cheese Fries. With the Fries seasoned with Taco Seasoning or not and served with Nacho Cheese. This is great as a side or snack.

Taco meat is added to make Taco Cheese Fries. Additionally topped off with a variety of other toppings for a Fully Loaded Taco Cheese Fries or a Supreme Taco Cheese Fries. Top it off with your favorite toppings. Which may include

Another option for serving, is to lay out at the table all the various toppings for everyone to help themselves when building their very own Taco Cheese Fries. This way, everybody can add what they like and how much.

Taco Chili Cheese Fries

Taco Cheese Fries

These Taco Cheese Fries are made with Taco Meat over Air Fryer Fries and Nacho Cheese over top with some Red Taco Sauce, Sour Cream & Green Onions.
Servings: 4 portions
Prep10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 Saucepot for the Nacho Cheese
  • 1 Skillet for the Taco Meat
  • 1 Air Fryer
  • 1 Stainless Steel Bowl to toss the fries and hot fat
  • 1 Digital Scale
  • 1 Squeeze Bottle for the Sour Cream

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Frozen Fries
  • 1/4 C Fat
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 portion Taco Meat
  • A handful Shredded Cheese - per plate – optional
  • 1 portion Nacho Cheese Sauce
  • As Desired Red Taco Sauce - optional
  • As Desired Sour Cream
  • 1-2 Stalks Green Onions

Instructions

  • Weigh out 1 lb of Fries and place into the Steel Bowl along with 1/2 tsp Sea Salt & 1/4 C of Fat, toss well.
  • Place the Fries into the Air Fryer Basket and cook at 400 F for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, empty the Fries and Hot Fat back into the Steel Bowl and toss the Fries. Then empty back into the Air Fryer Basket and continue to cook.
    Repeat this when 10 minutes & 5 minutes of cook time remain. The last 5 minutes might not be needed. If they are needed, then repeat the steps every 1 – 2 minutes until crisp to your liking.
    It's the frequent tossing and recoating in fat that creates crispy fries, almost the same as deep frying.
  • While the Air Fryer is going, prepare the Taco Meat.
  • Combine all the ingredients together for the Nacho Cheese Sauce and bring to a boil while constantly mixing until thickened. Once thickened, set it on the back burner to reheat later. Do the same for the Red Taco Sauce.
  • Just as the Fries are almost done, reheat the Cheese Sauce if needed and assemble.
    Plate the Fries with about 1/3 C of the Taco Meat on top and evenly spread out.
    Optionally, top off with additional shredded Cheese.
    Drizzle Red Taco Sauce & Hot Nacho Cheese Sauce on top.
    Garnish with Sour Cream & Green Onions. Serve right away.

Notes

 
Place the Red Taco Sauce & Sour Cream into a squeeze bottle to drizzle over the entire top.
Course: Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Mexican Poutine, Taco Cheese Fries, Taco Fries, Taco Poutine
Author: JAH

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