Game On: Seasoned Curly Fries with Beer Cheese

Whether you are snacking while watching the big game or need a fun appetizer, these Seasoned Curly Fries with Beer Cheese fit the bill.

I like football. I really do. When I was a kid, I enjoyed watching the Houston Oilers play with my dad. The Pittsburgh Steelers always crushed our Super Bowl dreams, and we always rallied against the pesky Dallas Cowboys. Today, my boys are also avid football fans, but this year was a little different.

We weren’t glued to the tube on Sundays watching all the games. My beloved San Diego Chargers ripped our hearts out and stomped all over them with a season full of threats of leaving San Diego. And it wasn’t like we were losing a stellar team either, with another pathetic season, losing 9 out of 12 games.

Yes, we were one of many families who refused to wear a Charger jersey or t-shirt this past fall. Honestly, it wasn’t the players we were angry at, but the obnoxious owner, Dean Spanos. He jerked the fans’ chain for years, and then to add salt to the wounds he announced that the Chargers AND Raiders will move to Los Angeles to share a stadium? Surprise, surprise when San Diegans replied, “We’ll help ya pack!”

And the latest news? Spanos announced this weekend that the Chargers will stay in San Diego… for the 2016 season. So very non-committal. Apparently, he had received a big fat reality check from fellow NFL owners. Like I have any sympathy listening to millionaires bicker about their “problems.”

This season, we have had Charger players tweeting and lecturing fans to fill up the stadium and support the team. We have had fans tweeting back to the players to win a game for a change. Luckily, our QB, Phillip Rivers, is a class act. My boys wear his jersey proudly.

Seasoned Curly Fries with Beer Cheese Dip – shot on iPhone 6 plus, edited with Snapseed

Will I be watching the Super Bowl next week? Heck yeah! I’ve missed watching football this year, but I especially miss the munchies. So, I’m returning to the game with these seasoned curly fries.

Awhile back I made some zucchini noodles with my little spiralizer. It did the job well-enough. But I quickly found the small device to be limiting. I finally broke down and bought this big spiralizer.

I must admit, it’s super easy to use and clean. There are even more cutting options, like making this tight curling potatoes. It’s actually easier to clean the big spiralizer than the little one – the veggie pieces would get lodged in small blades of the small spiralizer and because of the cone shape, it was difficult to clean out without cutting yourself.

The big spiralizer is super easy to disassemble and wash – all done in a few short minutes.

So, I made curly fries. And beer cheese. Curly fries need the beer cheese dipping sauce. You can use non-alcoholic beer if you don’t drink, or just milk and cream for the cheddar dip.

And, why not, Go Chargers! At least for one more year…

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Yield: 6 Servings

Seasoned Curly Fries with Beer Cheese

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Whether you are snacking while watching the big game or need a fun appetizer, these Seasoned Curly Fries with Beer Cheese fit the bill.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 qt extra virgin olive oil
• 2 lb russet potatoes
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, divided
• 1 TBS butter, unsalted
• 2 TBS all-purpose flour
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 cup milk, whole
• 1 cup beer
• 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven until it reaches 320ºF.
2. Peel and rinse clean potatoes.
3. Using a sprializer of your choice, follow the manufacturer's directions and spiral cut the potatoes. Cut the strings to desired length and set aside.
4. Use a paper towels to remove excess water from potatoes and fry them in batches. Drain on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet.
5. Season fries with 1/2 tsp salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.
6. Keep fries warm in oven set at 200ºF and begin making the beer cheese dip.
7. In a nonstick saucepan, on medium-high heat melt butter.
8. When butter has melted stir in flour and garlic. Cook for a minute without burning the garlic.
9. Slowly whisk in milk. Continue whisking until flour mixture is incorporated in the milk and the sauce starts to thicken.
10. Stir in beer.
11. Once beer is incorporated, slowly whisk in cheddar cheese in batches. Continue whisking until cheese is melted.
12. Season cheese sauce with remaining 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne and nutmeg.
13. Serve curly fries with the beer dip and enjoy!