Carne Asada Fries With Sliced Steak and Chile Butter Sauce Recipe

I not too long ago spent a couple of days in San Diego, the place I maintained a virtually all-taco weight loss program. As I hopped from taqueria to taqueria, I used to be tempted by carne asada fries, which had been on practically each menu. The dish is believed to have originated in San Diego within the Nineteen Nineties, when taquerias started loading french fries with the taco fillings they already had available—grilled carne asada, cheese, guacamole, crema, and salsa.

I lastly gave in on the final day of my journey, ordering asada fries from Tacos El Gordo, a Tijuana-based taco chain with a giant following on each side of the Mexico-US border. My favourite memento from San Diego isn’t one thing I introduced house in my suitcase—it’s the reminiscence of digging right into a mountain of crispy fries buried below shredded cheese, guacamole, and crema, all slicked with beefy juices.

Once I obtained house and began fascinated by how you can recreate the dish, I had an thought: What if carne asada fries met one other beef-and-fry basic—steak frites? As an alternative of chopped carne asada scattered over fries, this model serves a sliced steak alongside a mountain of tacky, loaded fries, with a carne asada–impressed butter sauce bridging the 2. It’s indulgent, unapologetically beefy, and designed for max fry-dipping.

The Carne Asada–Impressed Sauce

This recipe takes inspiration from Critical Eats senior culinary editorLeah’s steak frites, significantly the basic pairing of steak with a peppery, butter-based sauce. Right here, the normal au poivre framework is reworked with flavors borrowed from carne asada marinades, together with oregano and cumin.

Along with black peppercorns, I take advantage of chiltepin chiles—tiny, peppercorn-shaped dried chiles with a smoky, earthy warmth. They’re toasted and floor into the sauce, and likewise cracked contemporary over the steak on the desk for an additional punch. You can too experiment with totally different dried chiles within the sauce: Chipotles will add smokiness, whereas habaneros carry fruitier warmth. The sauce is wealthy and savory, so a squeeze of lime simply earlier than serving helps brighten and steadiness the dish.

Topping the Fries

To maintain the give attention to the steak and sauce, I go for frozen, store-bought fries slightly than making them from scratch. I choose skinny, shoestring-style fries right here—their excessive floor space means extra crisp edges, higher cheese protection, and extra alternatives for sauce-dipping in each chew. If you happen to’d slightly make them your self, you’ll be able to comply with former Critical Eats senior editor Sho‘s shoestring fries recipe for equally crisp outcomes.

As soon as cooked, the fries are topped with a layer of cheese and briefly warmed within the oven, permitting the cheese to soften and bind every part collectively. Contemporary tomato, purple onion, and cilantro add crunch, acidity, and natural brightness, reducing by the richness of the butter sauce and steak. You would simply lean tougher into carne asada–fries territory by including pickled chiles, beans, crema, or avocado salsa. 

The recipe makes sufficient sauce for it to pool generously across the sliced steak—and for loads of fry-dipping. It is a enjoyable dish that seems like an important day dinner, but it is also simple sufficient to assemble on a busy weeknight.

January, 2026