Mexican Street Fries with Guac, Pico & Árbol Salsa

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Crispy oven or air-fryer fries buried under melty cheese, then loaded with cold pico de gallo, chunky guacamole, cool crema and a smoky chile de árbol drizzle. Everything is prepped while the fries bake, so the layers go on hot-then-cold at the last second and nothing turns soggy. Fast, forgiving and cheap enough for a weeknight snack dinner.

Ingredients

• 28 oz frozen thick-cut or straight-cut French fries
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (only if baking)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 10 dried chiles de árbol, stems removed
• 1 Roma tomato, halved
• 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced small
• 1/3 cup white onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 2 ripe Hass avocados
• 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp white onion, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup Mexican crema (or 1/3 cup sour cream thinned with 2 tbsp milk)
• 2 tbsp cotija cheese, crumbled
• 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, for garnish
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

• large rimmed sheet pan or air fryer basket

Instructions

1. Make the árbol salsa first so it has time to cool. Heat a dry skillet over medium. Toast the chiles de árbol 45–60 seconds, tossing constantly, until they smell nutty and darken slightly — do not let them blacken or the salsa turns bitter. Transfer to a blender.
2. In the same dry skillet, char the halved tomato (cut side down) and the unpeeled garlic cloves over medium-high heat, 5–6 minutes total, turning until blistered in spots. Peel the garlic and add both to the blender with 1/3 cup water, the vinegar and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend 45 seconds until mostly smooth. Pour into a small bowl or squeeze bottle and set aside; it should be pourable, so thin with 1 tbsp water at a time if needed. It is spicy — that's the point.
3. Heat the oven to 450°F with a rimmed sheet pan inside, or preheat an air fryer to 400°F. Toss the frozen fries with 1 tbsp oil (skip the oil for air fryer), the salt and garlic powder.
4. Spread the fries in a single layer on the hot sheet pan and bake 22–28 minutes, flipping once at the halfway point, until deep golden and audibly crisp. For an air fryer, cook in two batches, 14–16 minutes each, shaking the basket twice.
5. While the fries cook, make the pico: combine the diced tomatoes, white onion, jalapeño, cilantro, 1 tbsp lime juice and 1/4 tsp salt. Refrigerate — cold pico against hot fries is what makes this dish work.
6. Make the guacamole just before the fries come out: scoop the avocados into a bowl, add 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp onion and 1/2 tsp salt, and mash with a fork, leaving it chunky. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface until you need it.
7. Pile the finished fries into a mound in the center of the hot sheet pan (or an oven-safe platter) and scatter the Monterey Jack and cheddar over the top. Return to the 450°F oven for 2–3 minutes, just until the cheese is fully melted and glossy.
8. Working fast, dollop the guacamole over the melted cheese in 6–8 spoonfuls, then spoon the cold pico de gallo over the top, draining off any pooled liquid first.
9. Drizzle the crema back and forth over everything, then zigzag 3–4 tablespoons of the árbol salsa on top. Finish with crumbled cotija and cilantro leaves, add lime wedges to the side, and serve immediately with extra árbol salsa on the table.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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