I love fall more than any other time of year. Yet, it brings a sense of sadness to me. The shorter days. The liveliness of the summer tourists in town is gone. Another year is coming to an end. But, the nights are cooler. I can wake up to 45 degree days wrapped tightly in my big fuzzy comforter. The leaves and decorations are beautiful! The food turns to all my favorite comfort foods.

I love going out to eat every once in a while because I scour the menus for things I can recreate at home or make variations of at home. This is one of those dishes. It was on a menu at a bar we went to several weeks ago and I didn’t try them that night but I have been thinking about making my own version of it since. I have no idea what the restaurants Pizza Fries were but this is how I envisioned them.

Verdict:

This was a hit. It was simple and a fun finger food. The kids only wanted cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni on this but next time I may add a bit of diced onion and red peppers to half of the pan for me.

I served this with a green side salad.

For my mostly gluten-free son this dish is perfect because it was gluten-free!

Also it is very easy to customize what each person wants to eat on their fries. Divide pan in half or quarters so that each person can add their own favorite toppings.

Ingredients:

• 1 (32 oz.) bag of frozen french fries or try homemade oven baked fries (click for link)
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• pizza toppings of your choice: pepperoni, Italian sausage, diced onions, diced peppers, olives, mushrooms, etc…
• pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:

1. Bake fries according to package or recipe directions until crispy.
2. Remove fries from oven and sprinkle with cheese and pizza toppings.
3. Return pan to oven for 3-8 minutes until cheese melts and toppings are warmed though.
4. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 3 minutes before serving.
5. Serve with a side of pizza sauce for dipping.