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Ashley Gaboriault

Chili Cheese fries
S19E2 American · 2019

Boston's Idle Hands chef scored a touchdown days before the Patriots won Super Bowl LIII

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Chili cheese fries is the dish you order at 2 a.m. and apologize for in the morning. It is not the dish you bring to a televised cook-off against Bobby Flay. Unless, that is, you are the chef at Idle Hour in Quincy, Massachusetts, and you have decided to win on confidence.

Ashley Gaboriault did exactly that. The technique here is the chili itself: a slow-braised meat sauce built on toasted cumin, chiles, and beef stock — not the ground-beef pan sauce most people make. Plus a hand-cut fry that holds crisp under hot toppings, plus a cheese sauce built on béchamel-and-cheddar rather than canned Velveeta.

Three components, all done from scratch. Bobby skipped one.

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Chili Cheese fries

25 min Prep
40 min Cook
4 Serves
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs russet potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch batons
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt, divided
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper, divided
  • 0.5 lb ground beef chuck (80/20)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1.5 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 3 tbsp sour cream
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
  1. Soak cut potatoes in cold water for 15 minutes to remove excess starch. Drain thoroughly and pat completely dry with paper towels.
  2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a cast-iron skillet to 325°F. Working in batches, fry potatoes 12-14 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels, season immediately with 1 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp pepper.
  3. Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Brown ground beef, breaking into quarter-inch pieces, 5-6 minutes until no pink remains. Pour off excess fat, leaving 1 tbsp.
  4. Add diced onion to beef, cook 3 minutes until softened. Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 minute, then add chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Toast spices 30 seconds until fragrant.
  5. Pour in beef stock, bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chili thickens and reduces by one-third. Season with remaining 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp pepper.
  6. Arrange crispy fries on a serving platter or individual plates. Ladle warm chili over fries, then immediately top with shredded cheddar cheese while chili is hot. Let sit 1 minute for cheese to soften slightly.
  7. Dollop sour cream over cheese, garnish with fresh cilantro, and serve immediately while fries retain crispness.
Inspired by Ashley Gaboriault’s winning chili cheese fries. This is a plausible recreation, not the chef’s original recipe.
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