The Australian Way To Season Your French Fries

So you've decided to stay in and cook dinner and you're craving french fries. You've done your research on how to best make fries at home, you have your station set, and you're ready to fry those potatoes. After the laborious task of deep frying, you're left with the perfect golden brown and crispy french fry. The last step, and arguably the one that can make or break your dish, is seasoning. There are many different ways to add flavor to homemade french fries, but if you're looking for a way to take your creation to the next level with bold seasoning, try swapping regular table salt for an Aussie staple: chicken salt.

To create the perfect savory bite, a chicken salt seasoning blend includes chicken stock and spices such as garlic, onion powder, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and paprika (for its iconic reddish-yellow coloring). While the original recipe from Australia's Peter Brinkworth was intended to enhance the flavor of chicken, the seasoning has taken on a new life since its inception in the late 1970s. Australian pubs have been using this umami-rich punch of flavor to make regular fries seem like a distant memory, and it's a game changer.

Sure, you can virtually cut a tuber into any shape and size to match your french fry desires, but if you're looking to bring a little bit of Australia to your plate, you'll want to go with an Aussie pub staple like seasoned potato wedges. And while these hefty cuts of potatoes are what you'll commonly find in restaurants Down Under, the real star of the show that ties everything together (outside of the chicken salt seasoning) is the sauce.

There are plenty of underrated dipping sauces for french fries, and Australians often choose a concoction of sour cream and sweet chili sauce to create the perfect pairing for your chicken salt wedges. The tanginess of the sour cream and the sweetness from the chili sauce create a nuanced flavor that cuts some of the powerful flavors of the chicken salt to create the perfect sweet and salty crunch. If you have the time, try creating your own spice blend of chicken salt to have on hand for a pop of flavor on your next french fry adventure. And if you're willing to take it to the next level, we've got an easy sweet chili sauce recipe you can try — use it with sour cream to create the ultimate cherry (or chili) on top of your wedges.