After spending a few days in the Grand Teton National Park, we headed north to Yellowstone. Yellowstone National Park is probably my absolute favorite park within the United States. Banff National Park is right up there too, but that’s because we got married there. Although the geysers are impressive and the valleys are beautiful, the wildlife is what brings me to Yellowstone. We usually get up around 4:30 am and head out with coffee in hand to watch the animals at sunrise.
In past trips, we’ve seen countless grizzly and black bears, wolves, coyotes, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, elk, bison, moose, beavers, otters, and even little weasels. There is nothing better than watching wolf pups play near their den or bear cubs follow their mother through the trees.
Instead of heading out of the park for lunch, we grabbed our portable grill and found a picnic table. I had picked up a bag of frozen french fries in Jackson, Wyoming a few days earlier and put them in our cooler. It doesn’t matter if they thaw a little in the cooler, it will just make the cook time a little shorter. Just remember to keep foods at a safe temperature during your trip. Your car can get super-hot in the sun, so it’s important to add lots of fresh ice to your cooler when needed. The last thing you want is to have food poisoning on your trip.
Since the fries are already cut, you don’t have to worry about chopping any potatoes on the picnic table. Just pour the fries onto a few sheet of foil and you’re good to go.
My motto for road trip food: the less work, the better.
However, that doesn’t mean that you should skimp on flavor.
These buffalo and blue cheese loaded fries are little flavor bombs (and super-addictive). Even though I’ve listed amounts in the list of ingredients below, feel free to add as much cheese and buffalo sauce as you’d like.
Let’s just call them guidelines.
Even though this recipe is part of That Oven Feelin’s Ultimate Road Trip Recipe series, this is a wonderful recipe for backyard cookouts and pool parties as well. Kids can each make their own foil packets with their favorite toppings so everyone can get exactly what they want!
Buffalo And Blue Cheese Loaded Fries
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 (32 oz.) bag frozen french fries
- 1½ cups shredded cheese (pepper jack or cheddar)
- ½ cup buffalo sauce, or to taste
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 4 pieces heavy-duty aluminum foil
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Place ¼th of the butter onto the center of a piece of aluminum foil. Place ¼th of the frozen fries into a single layer onto the aluminum foil square. Bring the edges of the foil up around the fries, leaving a large hole on top for steam to escape. Repeat with remaining fries and foil.
- Place the foil packets onto the grill over indirect heat (direct heat can cause the fries to burn). Cover the grill and cook for about 25 to 30 minutes, tossing the fries half-way though cooking.
- Once the fries are crispy and cooked through, carefully open the packets with a pair of tongs. Be careful of any escaping steam. Top the fries with ¼th of the shredded cheese, buffalo sauce, and ¼th of the blue cheese. Cover and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
- Sprinkle with chopped scallions and serve immediately.
