The Ultimate Holiday Appetizer - A French Fry Bar
Who doesn’t love french fries?
Recently, variations on serving frozen French fries are everywhere and I consider Tater Tots to be in the same category! These frozen treats are delectable on their own and a fun addition to hamburgers and hotdogs, but there is so much more you can do with them!
Baldy and I were in Virginia recently at at cute and very trendy little tapas bar and there was a whole section on the menu devoted to different variations of Tater Tots! It goes without saying that we ordered two different kinds and they were delicious!
Frozen french fries and Tater tots lend themselves to a variety of toppings and because they are so easy to make, they also make great party food!
I’m always trying to come up with original ideas for holiday parties…something that’s delicious and everyone will love! This idea of a French Fry Bar came to me yesterday while I was at the grocery store and I got so excited!
I think a French Fry Bar is an amazing addition to any holiday menu! Basically what I did was to “doctor up” some frozen French Fries and Tater Tots…adding sauces and toppings to make an easy and extremely unusual party platter that is sure to make everyone happy! Keep scrolling for exactly what I did!
As some of you may know, I had a catering business for a number of years and I still have many serving platters and baskets in my collection! This large, rectangular basket seemed to be perfect for serving the french fries. I lined it with sheets of parchment paper, garnished with a little Christmas greenery and added bowls for the sauces. I absolutely love the way it turned out, it was so delicious and cleanup was easy! You just can’t go wrong with this recipe!
I’m also including my outfit details below! I love to combine distressed jeans with sparkly jewelry and a dressy top. You can’t see my boots but they are tall and metallic gold! This whole idea of having a fun, casual holiday party where people dress creatively and stand around eating gourmet french fries with a glass of Champagne is just so much fun!
Ultimate French Fry Bar
Ingredients
- 3 Packages of frozen French Fries and Tater Tots in your choice of flavors/styles. Sweet potato, crinkle cut, etc. Be sure to get different kinds.
- 2 tablespoons generous of brown sugar
- 1 - 1/2 teaspoons sea salt or celery salt
- 1 - 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- Ranch dressing
- 1 head garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Flakey sea salt to taste
- Fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and oregano
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- Finely grated Parmesan cheese
- Flakey sea salt
- Tomato ketchup
Instructions
- Frozen French Fries and Tater Tots - your choice of flavors...sweet potato, crinkle cut, etc but make sure to get 3 different kinds.
- For the sweet potato fries - Place fries on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. When they come out of the oven, sprinkle with very finely grated parmesan cheese and a bit of fresh thyme! Serve with ketchup.
- For the crinkle cut fries - In a small bowl combine 2 generous tablespoons of brown sugar 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt or celery salt 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3/4 teaspoon paprika Toss with fries and bake according to package directions. Serve with Ranch Dressing
- For the tater tots - Roast 1 head of garlic in the oven until garlic is very soft - cut the top off of the garlic, drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and flakey salt. Wrap in foil and bake at 350 for about an hour.
- Squeeze roasted garlic from the head and combine with 1 cup mayonnaise. Season with fresh thyme, rosemary and or oregano.
- Bake tater tots according to package directions and sprinkle with salt and fresh herbs and serve with garlic mayo.
Make this French Fry Bar your own by customizing the dips and seasonings! Try Truffle Salt or any kind of seasoning you love! Have fun!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! We had so much fun creating this French Fry Bar and my head is full of new ideas that I can’t wait to share!
Be sure to pop a bottle of something bubbly to serve alongside your fries and tater tots!