Kimchi Nacho Fries

I am a huge fan of kimchi and love recipes like Bon Appetit’s kimchi pancakes. In trying to increase my use of kimchi in everyday cooking, I experimented with kimchi, vegan “meat,” cheese, and frozen sweet potato fries. Out of this experimentation, a delicious casserole-like dish was born.

What you’ll need

• Frozen fries
• Cheese
• Kimchi
• Protein of choice
• Rice vinegar
• Sesame oil
• Sambal olek/chili garlic sauce
• Sriracha
• Sesame seeds
• Pickled or fresh jalapeno slices
• Scallions

Preparation

Start by baking/cooking your fries per instructions on the bag. We did a mix of what we had in the freezer, so sweet potato fries and waffle fries. Roughly chop your kimchi and set aside (keep your kimchi brine for later use!).

Most of the seasoning will be incorporated during cooking of your protein. Here we used vegan ground “meat” substitute, but other options could include ground beef, chicken, tofu, beans, etc. Put some cooking oil in a pan and start to cook your protein. Season to taste using sambal olek, rice vinegar, sesame oil, kimchi brine, and sesame seeds. Cook on medium, stirring regularly (you don’t want to cook sesame oil on high heat). The result should become fragrant and delicious.

Assembly

Once your fries are fully cooked and crispy, it’s time for assembly! Layer your protein and kimchi atop your fries. Then smother in cheese. We used Havarti, which was a nice mild choice to complement all the spices. Mozzarella, provolone, or American cheese would also work nicely.

Put back in the oven, either at the same setting as your fries or on broil until the cheese gets all melty.

Once you’ve hit adequate cheese meltage, top with a nice drizzle of sriracha, pickled jalapenos, and chopped scallions. And voila!