I just lately spent a couple of days in San Diego, the place I maintained a virtually all-taco food regimen. As I hopped from taqueria to taqueria, I used to be tempted by carne asada fries, which have been on practically each menu. The dish is believed to have originated in San Diego within the Nineties, when taquerias started loading french fries with the taco fillings they already had readily 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 an enormous 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.

After I acquired house and began fascinated about the right way to recreate the dish, I had an concept: 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 optimum fry-dipping.

The Carne Asada–Impressed Sauce

This recipe takes inspiration from Critical Eats senior culinary editorLeah’s steak frites, notably 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 recent over the steak on the desk for an additional punch. You too can experiment with totally different dried chiles within the sauce: Chipotles will add smokiness, whereas habaneros deliver 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 concentrate on the steak and sauce, I go for frozen, store-bought fries somewhat than making them from scratch. I want 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. Should you’d somewhat make them your self, you’ll be able to observe 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 all the things collectively. Contemporary tomato, purple onion, and cilantro add crunch, acidity, and natural brightness, reducing by means of the richness of the butter sauce and steak. You can 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 looks like a special day dinner, but it is also simple sufficient to assemble on a busy weeknight.

January, 2026