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Curly Pizza Fries
Two things I can’t live without: pizza and French fries.
Not gonna lie I eat pizza or a variation of pizza, such as pizza bagels, a naan, or bread pizza at least once a week, but usually two to three. I consider my masala cheese toast and pan-fried cheese toast variations of pizza! I think I eat fries at least twice a week whether it’s air fryer French fries to go with a burger or I’m out and about having poutine!
If you love these two super foods the way I do, then this combination will change your life. To be honest, why did it take me so long to make this? Helloooo! This recipe came to be at lunch one day, when I wasn’t totally sure what to eat. I had some pepperoni and leftover pizza sauce after making some naans the night before, potatoes, and lots of cheese. I was in a pizza phase as you can see, so I wanted to extend my streak while combining my French fries desire. The result? Oh goodness was it amazing! I made this quickly for lunch by simply air frying my French fries, then adding the toppings and microwaving, garnishing with parsley.
I was instantly obsessed, and I couldn’t wait to make this but with a bit more love. And here it is! At the time of writing this, I’m hosting a collab on YouTube for the month of July called #funfries. I encourage you to make your favorite French fries recipe throughout the month of July! Fries are such a great theme to have, and it’ll really spark your creativity! I explain more about how having a theme in mind will get you out of a rut in the kitchen and get you motivated to make some delicious dishes in my 5 Tips To Make Cooking Fun! free guide! Sign up for the newsletter to get this free guide along with the Live to Cook one month challenge! Your French fry dishes can totally be a part of both the collab and your Live to Cook challenge! If you participate, be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can drool over your amazing fries!
To grasp all the concepts and to follow along with me making these Cheesy Pizza Fries from start to finish, then check out the video! If you’re not already, I’d really appreciate if you subscribe to my YouTube channel! Please hit the bell button too so that you receive the notifications when my video recipes go live! Deep frying can be intimidating, but if you follow along by reading the recipe and watching the video, I guarantee you success with this awesome French fry recipe! Let’s get cooking!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
There are so many reasons why you need to try this recipe as soon as you can!
- Best of both worlds: As I said, pizza and fries are my all-time favorite foods. This fusion is so simple but so genius! Get your cheesy pepperoni goodness on top of hot and crispy curly fries! Two cravings satisfied in one, yeah!
- Family-friendly: While fries and pizza are family foods on their own, making this recipe for the family is sure to be a hit! I prepared this recipe for two in a medium-sized casserole, but you can easily scale the recipe for larger casseroles to serve you and your kids or for an entire family get-together! In fact, if it’s just you, you can make this in an individual casserole! Individual enjoyment is encouraged!
- Special: Not only are you having an incredible experience of fries and pizza together, but I find the curly fries just makes this dish even more fun. They’re lots of fun to make and eat! You’ll love those crispy spirals with all the cheese, sauce and pepperoni over them!
- Minimal clean-up: The messiest part of this recipe is when you deep fry the curly fries. After that point, everything else just comes assembled in a casserole dish, so other than a cheese grater, that and the casserole are all you’ll need to clean!
- Customizable: Part of the joy with pizzas is picking toppings! I’m using a basic pizza format here, but I’ve got topping ideas for you to mix and match below!
How to Get the Curly Fries shape▼
You’ll need to use a spiralizer to get perfect curly fries. After you’ve washed and scrubbed your potato, cut one edge of the potato so that it’s flat. Then, attach the flat of the potato to the spokes of the spiralizer and secure the potato. Turn the spiralizer to create the spirals. You can choose to do long or short spirals, depending on your choice. Otherwise, you can use a knife to adjust the length as desired.
Tools Needed
Ingredients for Cheesy Fries
Time to review the ingredients that are needed for our fries! We’ll see what’s needed to make our curly fries, how to make a quick no-cook pizza sauce, and our toppings. Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post for PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD for all ingredient quantities and full instructions to save for later! The recipe card will also let you scale the recipe based on how many portions you want to make, so you can easily increase the recipe for a huge dinner party or just make it for you and your other half!
For the Curly Fries
- Yellow potatoes
- Salt
- Cayenne pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- All-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil, for frying
For the No-Cook Pizza Sauce
- Passata
- Olive oil
- Oregano
- Garlic cloves
- Chili flakes (optional)
- Salt to taste
For the Fries
- Mozzarella
- Pepperoni
- Provolone
How to Make Cheesy Pizza Fries
For the Curly Fries
Wash and scrub the potatoes. Cut one edge of the potato so it is flat. Attach the flat side of the potato to the spokes of the spiralizer and secure the potato. Turn the spiralizer to create the spirals. You can do a continuous spiral to create long spirals or shorter ones to create small ones. Alternatively, use a knife to adjust the length as desired.
Soak the potatoes in cold water for at least 15-20 minutes.
Grab a large bowl and create the batter by whisking flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper together. Then add water, little bit at a time and whisk until you have a thick, pourable smooth batter.
Heat the oil for frying in a large wok or pot - aim for a temperature between 375 F and 400 F on medium heat.
Drain the fries and then pat them dry. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip each curly fry and dip in the batter. Let any excess drip away and then place this battered portion on the baking sheet. Repeat the same with the remaining fries.
Once the oil is hot, add the battered fries to the oil and fry until they are golden brown crispy outside and soft inside. This can take between 8-15 minutes, depending on the level of doneness you desire.
Season with salt.
For the No-Cook Pizza Sauce
Mix together passata, olive oil, oregano, salt, garlic and chili flakes (if using). Then add tomato paste and mix well. For more information on storage instructions and information about this pizza sauce, check out the full recipe here.
For the Fries
Turn on the broiler in your oven.
In a casserole, add a generous amount of curly fries.
Add all of the tomato sauce around the fries, you don't need to coat each and every fry, just dot it around the casserole.
Tear small pieces from the provolone slice and arrange that around the casserole. Add shredded mozzarella and spread evenly. Top with pepperoni slices.
Place the casserole under the broiler and cook until the fries have warmed up and the cheese has melted and browned slightly, about 5-7 minutes.
Garnish with basil or dried parsley.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Topping Variations
- Proteins: Feel free to experiment! I would recommend chopped grilled chicken, ground beef, sausage, or shrimp. Great vegetarian sources include paneer or tofu.
- Veggies: I chose not to add veggies here just because I wanted to replicate a classic pepperoni pizza. My favorite veggies on pizza include sliced red onions and green pepper, but other awesome options are red pepper, mushrooms, jalapeño, or corn!
- Sauces: Try marinara sauce, BBQ sauce, Alfredo sauce, or buffalo sauce!
- Cheeses: I only used mozzarella here, but other pizzas that would be awesome to add are white cheddar, cheddar, Monterey Jack, provolone, Havarti or Swiss cheese! In fact, you could even add some cheese curds as I did once and you’ve got a three in one fusion - fries, pizza, and poutine - another one of my favorite foods!
Tips & Tricks for Fantastic Cheesy Pizza-style Fries
- Soak the fries in cold water to rinse off excess starch to help get the fries crispy.
- Make sure to heat oil to about 375 to 400 Fahrenheit to fry the fries.
- Make the sauce ahead of time to intensify the amount of flavor
- Feel free to experiment and substitute with your favorite combination of cheeses and toppings, such as cheddar, monterey jack, swiss for cheese or cooked sausage, chicken or mushrooms for the topping.
Questions You May Have
Do I need to Soak the potatoes?▼
You need to soak your potatoes because of the starch! Yukon gold potatoes and Russet potatoes contain a lot of starch. Soaking the potatoes in water for at least twenty minutes will remove the starch, allowing you to get perfectly crisp French fries. The water will turn cloudy as the starch releases. If you don’t do this, you’ll get mushy fries, and that won’t be enjoyable at all!
Can I make cheesy fries ahead of time?▼
I wouldn’t do this at all. You want nice cheesy pulls that can only happen with freshly molten warm cheese! You also want your fries to be awesome and crispy, and again that is achieved when your dish is freshly prepared!
However, here are some ideas to prep in advance so that you’re all ready to whip up your fries when it’s time to eat!
- Spiralize and soak the fries
- Make the pizza sauce in advance
- Grate your cheese and place in an airtight container in the fridge
Can I Use Straight Cut Fries Instead?▼
Yeah why not! Ever since buying my spiralizer, I’ve loved making curly fries, and I thought those fries would make this pizza-style fries recipe super special and delicious! However, if you want to experiment with straight cut fries, check out my Restaurant-Style Deep Fried Fries recipe!
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