by Hummingbird Saltalamacchia

Fries Quatro Queso Dos Fritos are one of the greatest things to come out of the wonderful show Psych. “It would be a flavor seizure!” exclaims Gus after hearing Lyin’ Ryan describing the decadent, savory snack.

“The night before, I went to this restaurant to get a basket of these things called Fries Quatro Queso Dos Fritos. You know, the ones where they inject potatoes with a four-cheese mixture, fry them three-quarters of the way, pull them out, batter them, fry them again, and then serve them with bacon and an ancho chile sour cream?”

Sounds like it couldn’t be possible, right! Well, I’ve tried to make these a hundred ways since watching this (gross exaggeration) and I think I’ve finally come up with the best…wait for iiiiiiiiit…. recipe!

This sauce is the crucial component that most other recipes just get wrong.

Let’s be real, FQQDF are heavy as heck. Or are they dense? Meh, I’ve heard it both ways. Anyway, in order to add a “freshness’ to this recipe, I’ve used fresh green poblano chile peppers! Ancho chilies are just dried poblanos anyway, and I think you’ll love the tang the fresh poblano peppers give this. So pack it in, pull the plug, shut it down, leave the dead meat in the freezer, and put on your Sunday best ‘cause its Arbor Day, baby!

Ingredients (Just because you put syrup on something, don’t make it pancakes!)

• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 poblano chili (deseeded and rinsed)
• 4 cloves garlic (peeled) – I promise you won’t smell like stinky nuts.
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions (C’mon Son)

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blitz until creamy. Chill before serving.

Okay folks, here’s where things get real. While some recipes deep fry these babies, and some people bake them, I go a little nuts here and AIR FRY THEM! You know that’s right. Why you may ask? 

Two reasons:

1. Because I don’t have an Easy Bake Oven, and an Air Fryer is about as Shawn & Gus a device as humanly possible. They look like little robots, you just put the food in and hit a button, and they require basically no cleaning.

B. Because Air Fryers make things crispy like deep-fried deliciousness, but without the greasy mess. I hear that! They’re awesome and if you don’t have one, 1985 called and said to kindly return your comb to the back pocket of your acid-wash Z. Cavaricci’s.

Ingredientts (The extra T is for extra talent!)

• 8 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes – Russets are a bit too flakey/gritty and we’re going for that perfectly round shape like Gus’s beautiful head. 
• 1 bag shredded Mexican Four Cheese Blend (Cheddar, Asadero, Monterey Jack, Queso Quesadilla)
• 1 bag THICK CUT SHREDDED sharp cheddar – gotta get the thick-cut –  Mixing these two different shredded cheeses maximizes flavor and gooeyness. Trust me.
• 8 strips of bacon
• olive oil
• two eggs
• a splash of milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Adobo seasoning – This is a Goya product that combines garlic salt, black pepper, tumeric, and oregano. It’s garlicky goodness and I’m pretty sure they used it in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Marzipan.
• Optional Parsley for garnish

Directions: (Everyone stop whatever you’re doing and only pay attention to me!)

1. If you have an Air Fryer that requires preheating, get that baby warmed up to 400 degrees
2. Cut potatoes in half
3. Use a melon baller to hollow out the potato halves to about 1/4 inch thick.
4. Throw the potato halves in a bowl and toss with olive oil and a generous sprinkling of Adobo seasoning
5. Place the potato halves in the air fryer for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. FLIP THEM HALFWAY.
6. While this is cooking, let’s make the seasoning blend, the cheese blend and egg wash. Add the eggs and a splash of milk to one bowl and whisk. In a separate bowl, add 2 tbsp of Adobo seasoning, the black pepper, the garlic powder, the flour, and the paprika. Mix that up with a fork. In the third bowl mix the two different cheeses (the 4 cheese blend and the sharp cheddar)
7. When the potatoes are done, pull them out and let cool for a few minutes.
8. Take the potato halves and stuff with cheese! Both sides to maximum fullitude.
9. Press two halves together and pin them together with a few toothpicks or mini skewers.
10. Toss them in the egg wash thoroughly
11. Toss them in the seasoning blend thoroughly
12. Place the Potatoes BACK INTO THE AIR FRYER for another 12 minutes at 400 degrees – Now, here’s where the magic happens. And I mean that literally. I keep my air fryer in a hidden room downstairs where I practice my magic tricks. 
13. When the potatoes are finished, put them on a plate to cool.
14. Throw the bacon in the air fryer and cook for 7 minutes at 400 degrees.
15. Pull the toothpicks or mini skewers out of the potatoes and plate in a small pyramid with a moat of the ancho sour cream dipping sauce. Garnish with parsley on top if desired.
16. Cool the bacon a bit and then break it into manageable, bite-sized pieces and crumble over the FQQDF
17. Put on your favorite episode of Psych (I recommend Truer Lies of course), grab a grapalicious juice box, and enjoy with your fam or friends. Be sure to take pictures of the moment, because that’s what matters.