Loaded Kimchi and Chorizo Fries

For years now, I have been a big fan of Korean kimchi. There’s something so great about it, either eaten alone, or placed inside a variety of different items. I’ve done everything from a kimchi grilled cheese, to a burger, tacos, fried rice, and even nachos. Yes, I love kimchi that much. There’s something about the fermented vegetables that offers the awesome balance of spice and sour. With that said, this past weekend I was looking through my cupboard, and thought ‘oh crap, I better use those russett potatoes soon or they are going to go bad’. That’s when it came to me, well, to make hand cut french fries (which I highly recommend), but then I had to go up another level, and start purging some things in the refrigerator. That’s when I saw Mexican chorizo, and the kimchi. Now we have loaded kimchi and chorizo fries. They were amazing.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 4 whole russet potatoes, cleaned, peeled, cut into thick match sticks
• 4 cups of canola oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup of Mexican chorizo, cooked and drained
• 3/4 cup of Korean kimchi, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Jack cheese
• salt, to taste
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper

Start by soaking your cut fries in a bowl of cold water. This will prevent them from turning color, as well as remove some of the starch. After about 30 minutes, drain the potatoes, and rinse with cold water. Place on a large baking sheet lined with a towel, or paper towel, and lightly pat all of the fries to remove excess water.

During this time, heat a pot of oil on the stove over medium-high heat. If you have a thermometer, use it, and bring your oil up to 300 degrees. You are going to cook these twice. Add a batch of fries into the preheated oil, and cook for about minutes, then remove the fries with a spider strainer, and place into a wire strainer, or a paper lined plate.

Repeat with the remaining fries.

During this time, cook your chorizo. It’s a bit greasy, so strain any excess oil when it is done cooking.

Bring the oil to 350 degrees. In batches, cook the fries once again, for about 5 minutes or until nice and golden brown. Again, strain and season with salt and pepper.

To a saute pan, take a tablespoon of the french fry oil, and heat that up. Add the shallots, cooked chorizo, and the kimchi. Warm these through, mixing along the way.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To a baking sheet, or if you have one use a cast iron fajita plate, and add the fries. Top with the kimchi and chorizo mixture, then top with the cheese. Top with any remaining kimchi mixture.

Cook until the cheese is nice and melted. Garnish with the sliced green onions, and dig in.

I almost felt guilty eating these. They were hard to stop. Perfect heat, texture, and don’t even get me started on the cheese. It’s an explosion of flavor, and this would be a great one for a game day appetizer. Hope you enjoy!