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[1] Today’s featured recipe: Carne Asada Fries (recipe and photos #1, #3, #6 © Idaho Potato Commission).
[2] Very popular: steak frites, steak with a side of fries (photo © LT Bar & Grill | Hackensack, New Jersey).
[3] Baked fries with bacon, cheddar and scallions. The recipe link is below.
[4] Trending: shoestring fries atop a burger (photo © Chef Eric Levine).
[5] Why do chefs love their fries in duck fat? The rich and elegant duck fat flavor adds a hint of delicious “duckiness.” The recipe link is below. (photo © Benjamin Zanatta | Unsplash).
[6] National Cook A Sweet Potato Day is February 22nd, but you can cook sweet potato fries today—shown here with a Green Goddess dip (photo © Good Eggs).
[7] Carne asada tacos, the most popular version of carne asado in the U.S. (photo © Good Food).
[7] Carne asada quesadillas (photo © Good Food).
[8] Homemade flour tortillas. Here’s the recipe (photo © Five Heart Home).
[9] Hot off the grill and ready to roll (photo © The Nibble).
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Updated August 2026
July 13th is National French Fries Day, a cause for celebration because it’s another reason to have fries—maybe for all three meals!
How many types of French fries have you had? Crinkle cut and curly fries, sure. But how about Boardwalk Fries? Carne Fries? Elvis Fries? Newfie Fries ?.
Each year we like to serve up a different way to serve French fries. This year, start with the American version of Poutine: Carne Asada Fries.
After the recipe, we’ll delve into carne asada itself, the popular Mexican grilled steak that can be the centerpiece of a cookout or warm-weather gathering.
Below:
> Carne asada fries recipe.
> More fries recipes.
> How carne asada is enjoyed in Mexico.
> More ways to serve carne asada.
> Drinks to serve with carne asada.
> The history of carne asada.
Elsewhere On The Nibble:
> The history of French fries.
> The different types of fries: more than 40!
> Top 10 favorite dips for fries.
> How to make the best French fries.
> Make your own signature fries.
> French fry styles around the world.
> Non-ketchup dips for fries.
> The history of potatoes.
> The different types of potatoes: a photo glossary.
> The year’s 30 potato holidays.
> The year’s 24 fried food holidays.
> The year’s 30 potato holidays.
> The year’s 25+ Mexican and Tex-Mex food holidays.
> Food fun: The world’s largest French fry.
1. RECIPE: CARNE ASADA FRIES
Carne asada, which means “grilled steak” in Spanish, is a Mexican dish of grilled and sliced beef (skirt steak, sirloin steak, tenderloin steak, or rib steak). It’s served as a main dish with rice and beans, or as an ingredient in other dishes you’ll find below.
This recipe was developed by Jonathan Melendez, food blogger from The Candid Appetite, for the Idaho Potato Commission, a source for great potato recipes.
Ingredients
You can save time by purchasing the salsa and guacamole.
1 pound Idaho® potatoes, peeled and cut into thin fries
Vegetable oil for frying
2 pounds flap steak or skirt steak
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons granulated garlic
1 ½ teaspoons granulated onion
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 ½ cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cup guacamole
¾ cup sour cream
Optional: ¼ cup sliced pickled jalapeños
Optional: ¼ cup crumbled queso fresco (substitute feta, goat cheese, paneer, queso blanco, ricotta salata)
Preparation
1. MAKE the fries. Heat a large pot (a Dutch oven is great here) over medium-high heat. Fill it a bit less than halfway with vegetable oil. Attach a deep fryer thermometer and heat the oil to 350°F.
2. PEEL the potatoes and cut them into thin fries. Immediately place the fries into a bowl of cold water to prevent them from turning brown and to rinse away the excess starch. Drain the potatoes and dry them thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel. Make sure they’re completely dry; you don’t want any moisture in the oil.
3. FRY the potatoes in batches until light golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir with a slotted spoon and transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Continue frying the rest of the fries.
4. HEAT the oil to 375°F and fry the potatoes a second time (in batches as well), until deep golden brown and crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer back to the wire rack and sprinkle with salt to taste.
5. GRILL the steak. First, heat an outdoor grill or a stovetop grill pan, over medium-high heat until hot.
6. COMBINE in a large bowl combine the flap steak with the salt, pepper, granulated garlic, onion, paprika, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix until evenly seasoned. Cook the meat until charred on both sides, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for a few minutes before chopping into cubes.
7. ASSEMBLE the fries on an oven-safe platter, baking sheet, or individual ramekins. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and place in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
8. REMOVE from the oven, top with the chopped carne asada, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, cilantro, and queso fresco, as desired. Serve right away.
2. 15 MORE FRENCH FRY RECIPES
Baked Cheese Fries With Bacon & Scallions
Baked French Fries With Italian Herb Seasoning
Baked Fries With Spicy Ras El Hanout
Beef Tallow French Fries
Better Than Fries: Crispy Potato Skewers
Daigaku Imo Fries From Japan
Duck Fat French Fries
French Fries With Peanut Butter & Jelly
Guinness-Battered Fish & Chips
Green Fries With Tzatziki Sauce
Grilled Cheese & Fries Sandwich
Loaded Bacon Cheese Fries
Oven Fries
Panko-Coated Oven Fries
Poutine Recipes (Canadian Fries)
Truffle Fries
Non-Potato Fries
Avocado Fries
Chickpea Fries
3. HOW CARNE ASADA IS SERVED IN MEXICO
Carne asada, Spanish for grilled or roasted meat, is served in numerous ways (see the next section).
In northern Mexico, carne asada is also very often served simply as grilled beef on a shared platter, with tortillas and accompaniments so everyone can assemble their own tacos.
The steak is marinated in lime juice, garlic, salt, and spices, then charred over an open flame. It’s then sliced thin across the grain or chopped.
In Mexico, a home cookout or carne asada gathering is always festive. How’d you like to host your own gathering?
To start with, you need a grill for that open flame (you can also make it in a skillet on the stove top, but you won’t get that great grilled flavor). Here’s the rest:
Skirt steak, (arrachera) is considered the gold standard: highly flavorful with a distinct grain that holds onto marinades well. In Mexico, it is often mechanically tenderized (pitted with small needles) or marinated in citrus to break down the tough fibers.
Flap meat (sirloin bavette or ranchera), is a second choice. It’s similar to skirt steak but often a bit more affordable and very tender when grilled quickly over high heat.
Flank steak is popular in the U.S., because it’s leaner and easier to find in grocery stores. It’s a much thicker, wider muscle than skirt steak so it can be tougher and more ““chewy” if it isn’t marinated thoroughly and sliced very thinly across the grain.
Sides
Avocado. Sliced avocado or guacamole.
Beans. Typically often refried beans or frijoles charros—pinto beans cooked with onions, garlic, tomatoes, salted pork/bacon, and chiles (this is a great dish to assign if someone asks, “What can I bring?).
Chiles. Char or grill green chiles, such as jalapeños (if it’s Hatch season, go for it).
Cilantro. Finely chopped, it’s used as a garnish. Here’s a technique: Gather the leaves and tender upper stems together and run a sharp knife through them to create a neat, uniform mince.
Cotija cheese. Crumbled, this Mexican cheese, similar in texture to feta, is popular garnish.
Grilled nopales or rice. Nopales (cactus leaves) are popular in Mexico, and you can find them in Latin markets in many cities. You can also buy them in jars, cut into strips to top a green salad.
Lime wedges. A squeeze of juice heightens the other flavors.
Onion. Grilled onions, scallions or spring onions.
Salsa. Pico de gallo, salsa roja, salsa verde, or your favorite (the different types of salsa).
And most important:
Tortillas. Warm flour tortillas are popular in much of northern Mexico. Corn tortillas are also widely used, and they provide more flavor.
People then “roll their own” with the other ingredients.
Eating the individual components on a plate is also conventional.
It also offers the option of avoiding gluten and carbs from the tortillas, and is potentially less drippy. Mission and other tortilla manufacturers do make gluten-free versions.
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[10] An elevated presentation of carne asada at Eddie Merlot’s (photo © Eddie Merlot’s).
4. MORE WAYS TO SERVE CARNE ASADA
Burritos. Especially familiar in California and the U.S. Southwest, in addition to the meat, they may include beans, cheese, guacamole, rice, and salsa. San Diego-style carne asada burritos roll in French fries, too.
Fajitas. To turn carne asada into fajitas, just cook the steak alongside sliced bell peppers and onions, then wrap them in warm tortillas. (August 17th is National Fajita Day, and every Friday is Fajita Friday.)
Nachos, fries, and bowls topped with carne asada are largely a Mexican-American creation. In addition to nachos, carne asada tops fries, loaded baked potatoes, rice bowls, and salads.
Platters with tortillas. Especially traditional at a northern Mexican cookout, the steak is the centerpiece, and diners combine it themselves, with tortillas and the side dishes at the table.
Quesadillas are also very popular in the U.S., particularly in Mexican-American cooking and taquerias. A melting cheese such ase Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Oaxaca, are melted in a tortilla with the meat.
Tacos are probably the single most common use, especially in Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. Small tortillas filled with chopped or thinly sliced beef are the signature preparation. In food venues, the accompaniments are typically simple: meat, onion, cilantro, salsa, and lime. That’s why a home gathering is so exciting.
Tortas are a Mexican sandwich on a crusty roll, commonly layered with carne asada, avocado, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and chiles.
[11] Carne asada beverage pairings. From left, Margarita, Michelada, Mexican beer, Tequila, plus non-alcoholic agua de jamaica, horchata, and agua de limón (photo © The Nibble).
5. DRINKS WITH CARNE ASADA
Alcoholic Drinks
Beer. You can make it authentic with Mexican beers, which are light, crisp lagers such as Corona Extra, Dos Equis, Modelo Especial (currently a top-selling beer in the U.S.), Pacífico, and Tecate.
Margaritas. Tangy tequila drink with lime juice and orange liqueur.
Micheladas. Cold beer mixed with lime juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, often with a salted or Tajín rim.
Tequila or mezcal. Slow sipping with a slice of lime or orange and salt.
Iced Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Agua de horchata, a blend of rice and almond milk blended into a liquid, with a touch of cinnamon.
Agua de jamaica, tart hibiscus iced tea.
Agua de limón, fresh lime water with sugar (i.e., limeade).
Mexican cokes, made with real cane sugar in glass bottles.
[12] No grill? Make carne asada in your slow cooker. It won’t have that grilled meat flavor, but it will still be delish. Here’s the recipe (photo © Taste Of Home).
6. THE HISTORY OF CARNE ASADA
Carne asada, literally “grilled meat” in Spanish, was not originally the name of one fixed recipe or a particular steak cut. Rather, it simply described beef cooked over high heat, traditionally over charcoal or wood.
Today, thanks to the expansion of Mexican cuisine in the U.S., it usually refers to thin, grilled beef—often skirt, flap, or flank steak—served sliced or chopped. It’s a popular meat for tacos.
Its roots are in northern and northeastern Mexico, where cattle ranching developed after Spanish colonization. Cattle did not exist in pre-Columbian Mexico; they arrived with the Spanish in the 16th century.
In the ranching regions that became especially associated with carne asada—such as Sonora and Nuevo León*—beef became an important food, and open-fire grilling suited working ranch life as well as outdoor celebrations.
Early carne asada was likely quite simple: a flavorful but economical cut of beef, grilled over fire and seasoned primarily with salt. Lime, garlic, chiles, herbs, and more elaborate marinades are now common, but they vary substantially by household, butcher shop, and region. The characteristic smoky flavor is often associated with charcoal or mesquite grilling. The finished meat may be served with tortillas, beans, grilled onions, salsa, and guacamole—or diced for tacos, burritos, tortas, and other dishes.
Importantly, in northern Mexico, “a carne asada” can mean the gathering as well as the food: a family-and-friends cookout centered on a grill, rather like an American backyard barbecue. Beef may be the centerpiece, but chicken, chorizo, seafood, vegetables, beans, rice, salsas, and beer are also often part of the occasion.
Mexican immigrants carried these grilling traditions to the United States in the early 20th century. Carne asada became especially important in California, Arizona, Texas, and other Southwestern communities, where carnicerías sold prepared marinated meat and taquerias turned it into a familiar taco filling. The BBC notes that printed references to U.S. carnicerías selling marinated meats go back to 1930.
Over time, it moved from Mexican and Mexican-American home cooking and neighborhood taquerias into mainstream American restaurant menus.
So the short version is: Carne asada began as northern Mexican ranching food, evolved into a beloved communal grilling tradition, and became a cornerstone of Mexican-American taco culture—not merely “marinated steak.”
If you’re a beef lover, plan to have some soon.
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*While cattle are ranched throughout the country, Mexico’s most historically important cattle-ranching regions are largely in the north and northeast, where broad grasslands, a drier climate, and proximity to the U.S. Southwest supported large-scale livestock raising. The regions best known for cattle include Sonora, perhaps Mexico’s best-known beef state, with a strong tradition of wood- or charcoal-grilled beef; Chihuahua, historically associated with cattle and open-range ranching; Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, northeastern states where beef cookouts and carne asada are especially important socially and culinarily; and Baja California, also known for its excellent beef and grilled-meat traditions, although its ranching and food culture developed somewhat differently from the older mainland northern traditions.
†Every Friday became “Fajita Friday” following an advertising campaign by Mexican-food brand Old El Paso in 2022. It was promoted as a Friday-night, at-home fajita ritual in the U.S., and a major 2023 campaign in the U.K. followed. Fajita Friday echoes Taco Tuesday: Tuesday taco specials appeared in U.S. newspaper ads as early as the 1930s, while the phrase “Taco Tuesday” emerged in the 1970s. Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar in New Jersey began a Taco Tuesday promotion in 1979 and later held a state trademark; regional fast-food chain Taco John’s helped popularize the phrase nationally and received a federal trademark in 1989.
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