Ready or not, fall is coming, and with it brings more easy, weeknight-friendly recipes like my Crock Pot Cheeseburger Fries with Special Sauce. Say goodbye to boring burgers and fries (and the drive-thru!) and hello to this ridiculously tasty mash up!
Crock Pot Ground Beef
These loaded fries highlight my homemade Crock Pot Maid Rites recipe, which is a famous Iowa dish of browned ground meat served on a bun topped with cold ketchup and dill pickles. Instead of trying to convince you to serve your family sauceless ground beef on a bun (I swear it’s delicious!) I used it to top crispy french fries then bury them with melted cheese and burger-friendly toppings including fresh tomatoes, minced onion, and homemade special sauce. YES!! If your family likes cheeseburgers, they’re going to love this fun take on the classic. Just bake frozen french fries then top with the crock pot-cooked ground beef and freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and then broil for a couple minutes. So simple, and you can serve the meal right on the sheet pan the fries are cooked on so clean up is minimal. You’ll have leftover cooked ground beef which is a wonderful thing because the meat is so, so versatile. Make the aforementioned Maid Rites, add to marinara sauce, roll into enchiladas or tacos, freeze for another day, or add to soups. Let’s do this!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by cooking the beef topping. In a 6 quart crock pot combine ground beef, chopped onion, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce (I like Lea & Perrins) and gluten free Tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce), plus lots of salt and pepper. Place a lid on top then cook on high for 4 hours, breaking the meat up 3 times with a spatula as it cooks. Feel free to cook the meat on a weekend then use all week – it keeps really well in its cooking juices in the fridge. By the way, I wouldn’t go any lower in fat than 85/15 as the extra fat in the beef renders the meat super, super tender and luscious. 80/20 would work great too!
Once the beef is cooked bake frozen french fries in any cut (I used spiral cut – whee!) according to package directions then generously sprinkle with homemade gluten-free seasoned salt while they’re hot from the oven. This makes such a difference taste-wise – so yummy! You could also make your own french fries using regular potatoes and the method shown in this recipe.
Drain some of the meat then sprinkle over the top of the french fries, followed by freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and then broil until the cheese has melted, 1-2 minutes. I transferred the fries over to a cast iron skillet for presentation purposes, but you can definitely just leave them on the sheet pan.
Meanwhile, whip up the Special Sauce that gets drizzled on top and served on the side for dunking. It gets better as it sits too, so feel free to make 2-3 days ahead of time. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, ketchup, finely minced dill pickles, finely minced white onion, white wine vinegar, and white sugar.
Top the cheeseburger fries with special sauce, chopped tomatoes, and finely minced white onion then devour! If you love pickles on your cheeseburgers, feel free to chop a few up to toss on top – a drizzle of ketchup or mustard wouldn’t be out of place either. However you serve them, enjoy!
More Burger Inspired Favorites
How to Bake Burgers in the Oven Cheeseburger Quesadillas Big Mac Salad Mini Bacon Cheeseburger Quinoa Bites Homemade Brat Burgers
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