Mexican Street Corn Loaded Fries

These Mexican Street Corn Loaded Fries are baked instead of fried, but still super crispy! They’re topped with mixture of grilled corn, cotija cheese, lime, cilantro, and spices. Then they get drizzled in a simple Mexican crema and topped with extra cotija cheese too!

I don’t know if I’ve ever been more excited about a plate of fries. Actually, that’s a lie. Fries are my end-all, be-all, favorite guilty pleasure (which isn’t even guilty, because they make me happy as heck and they’re a potato, so, in my eyes, they’re really not that bad), and then I took them to another level of love because they’re Mexican-ish. And I love Mexican food more than anything.

So basically a mashup of two of my favorite things in life! How could we go wrong here?

I really can’t handle the deliciousness.

And it all starts with the fries. Can you believe they’re BAKED?! How crispy do they look?!

The secret is: slice them on the thinner side, and cook them in a super hot oven (like 450℉), with a little bit of oil, don’t touch them until the last 5-10 minutes so they get that crispy outside, and that’s it. They turn out perfectly every time, without fail.

And since we’re loading these babies with lots of cheese, sour cream/mayo mixture, and tons of corn, I figured baking them might be the better route?

Plus, I often don’t feel like dealing with a huge pot of oil. Sometimes it is worth it though. Like for these.

I also have a couple other street corn recipes on my site because I love it so much. I made this street corn salmon a couple summers ago (MAJOR FAVORITE), and these street corn loaded hot dogs last summer.

Yes, I’m serious.

If you aren’t familiar with the amazingness that is street corn – I guess I should’ve explained that earlier. In its pure form, it’s grilled corn on the cob, topped with Mexican crema (usually a mixture of sour cream and/or mayo), chili powder, garlic, cilantro, lime, and cotija cheese. It’s such a magical combination of ingredients and I can’t get over how fantastic it is. I crave it constantly.

This is basically my deconstructed version and it’s so insanely easy. And you can use the leftover street corn for side dishes during the week or to put on salads! If there’s any left, that is!

So I figured that another street corn recipe HAD to be done for my week of Cinco de Mayo recipes. I don’t like to play favorites, (even though I annoyingly say everything is my favorite), you must make these fries. And they might just be my favorite recipe from the week!

Such a tough call though.

We really could not stop eating these. We meaning my mom and I on a random morning at like 10am when I was shooting these.

The key here is to layer the Mexican street corn mixture and crema in layers, so you aren’t left with plain fries at the bottom. Because nobody likes cheese-less and creama-less fries. 🙂

And alllllways extra cotija on top!

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Mexican Street Corn Loaded Fries

These Mexican Street Corn Loaded Fries are baked instead of fried, but still super crispy! They're topped with mixture of grilled corn, cotija cheese, lime, cilantro, and spices. Then they get drizzled in a simple Mexican crema and topped with extra cotija cheese too!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4

Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the fries

• 4 large russet potatoes (or 6 small/medium), cut into 1/4'' fries (I leave the skins on - it helps them crisp up!)
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or other high heat friendly oil, like grapeseed)*
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the crema

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• juice of 1 lime
• 2-3 tablespoons half and half

For the street corn

• 4 ears corn
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or other high heat friendly oil, like grapeseed)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• zest of 1/2 a lime
• squeeze of lime
• 2/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450℉. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Place the fries on the baking sheet and drizzle with the oil, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Toss to coat. Bake for 25-30 minutes (don't move them around!), and then flip them and bake for another 5 minutes or until golden and crispy. 

2. While fries are baking, make the crema. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, mayo, chili powder, salt, lime juice, and half and half. Whisk until smooth and combined. Season to taste with extra salt if desired.

3. Make the street corn. Heat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, and lime zest. Rub mixture all over the corn and then grill for a few minutes per side, being sure to char all of the sides evenly. Let cool slightly, then cut all of the kernels off of the cob.

4. Place corn kernels in a large bowl, and add a good squeeze of lime, half of the cotija cheese, and half of the cilantro. Stir to combine. To assemble the fries, put a layer of fries on a platter, drizzle with some crema, then a layer of street corn, then repeat. Top with the remaining cilantro and cotija cheese and serve with lime wedges. Devour immediately!

Recipe Notes

*Can sub olive oil in a pinch!