Air Fryer Bacon Cheddar Fries
Frozen fries cooked until crisp in the air fryer, then topped with browned bacon pieces, melted cheddar and sour cream. A quick single-serving snack.
- Total
- 18 min
- Prep 4 · Cook 14
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Rendering fat · Seasoning in layers
- Savory
- Quick
- Air fryer
Instructions
-
Put the frozen fries in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook at 200°C for 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway, until the fries are golden at the edges and crisp.
~10 min
A single layer lets hot air circulate around each fry, so they crisp instead of steaming where they touch.
Shake the basket at the halfway mark so the fries crisp evenly instead of steaming where they touch.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the fries cook, cut the bacon into 2 cm pieces. Grate the cheddar and slice the spring onions thinly.
~3 min
-
When the fries are crisp, pull the basket out. Scatter the bacon pieces over the fries and cook at 200°C for 3 minutes, until the bacon is browned and its fat has rendered.
~3 min
Bacon needs direct heat to render its fat and brown; laying it on the fries lets that fat flavor them.
Rendering fat Cook bacon over steady heat until the fat turns liquid and the meat browns; too high and it burns before the fat renders.
-
Sprinkle the grated cheddar over the hot fries and bacon. Cook at 180°C for 1 minute, until the cheddar melts and coats the fries.
~1 min
Cheddar melts fast at low heat; a short burst melts it without splitting the cheese into greasy oil.
Add the cheddar for the last minute only: longer and it splits into oil rather than melting over the fries.
-
Slide the loaded fries onto a plate. Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper, then spoon the sour cream over the top and scatter the sliced spring onions.
~1 min
Seasoning in layers Season at the end so the salty bacon and cheddar don't push the dish over; taste before adding the pinch of salt.