These loaded Fajita Fries made with grilled flank steak fajitas, melty cheese, and every topping imaginable will absolutely satisfy your comfort food cravings while still coming together super quickly. It’s your favorite Tex Mex meal reimagined to be a cross between fajitas and loaded french fries. It’s easily pulled together for a weeknight dinner or fun for a date night in. Snacky dinners are so satisfying and exciting especially when the base is homemade french fries!
Flank Steak
Flank steak is a great cut to use for these Grilled Flank Steak Fajita Fries as it is lean, tender and has a wonderful rich beefy flavor. You really won’t want to use anything with a ton of fat for this recipe, as you’ll want nice slices of tender meat. You can absolutely use skirt steak as well – for this application I prefer the flank.
Sometimes referred to as a bavette, this cut is more affordable than many and marinates beautifully. QUALITY MATTERS – like with so many ingredients, but especially with beef. The quality of the beef, its environment, and how it was raised. Country Natural Beef supplies Whole Foods markets with premium, pasture raised, Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.) Certified Beef – you can also order these steaks direct to your home!
What are fajitas?
Fajitas are a Tex Mex invention that borrows from Spanish language with the “faja” meaning a ‘belt’ or ‘girdle’ typically using the skirt steak. I guess technically this recipe isn’t true because I am not using skirt steak, but then neither would any fajitas – chicken, shrimp etc so I am rolling with it.
Homemade Air Fryer French Fries (Frites)
Homemade air fryer french fries are what’s up. It is so easy, and so unbelievably satisfying. You don’t actually need a vat of oil, a stinky mess, or greasy countertop and I am going to scream it from the mountain tops. MAKE YOUR OWN FRENCH FRIES. It really starts with cutting them evenly, and then soaking them for 30 + minutes in cold water, rinsing two to three times with fresh cold water, and finally- drying them very very well. Dress them in a minimal amount of avocado oil, don’t overcrowd the pan, and air fry in batches.
What toppings can I put on french fries?
The possibilities are truly endless, and I encourage you to be creative. Loved these Fajita Fries for a themed dinner, but I think you can think: Philly Cheese Fries, Pizza Fries, BBQ lover Fries, and on and on.
Do I need to make the Fajita Seasoning?
NO, you can use any store bought brand you prefer. This is a great mix, and I recommend tripling it and having on hand for easy weeknight flavorful meals.
How can I make this Whole30 Compatible?
The only thing in this recipe that isn’t compatible are the two types of cheese. You can still enjoy this without any cheese / vegan cheese, but you can also substitute something like a Kite Hill Ricotta cheese over top for a little added creaminess — it’s actually super delicious and will melt down.
Limes for acid in meat marinade and to squeeze over top
Chili Powder for warmth and spice in the fajita seasoning
Ground Cumin for earthiness in the fajita seasoning
Garlic Powder for warmth and depth in the fajitas seasoning
Paprika for color, and punch in the fajitas seasoning
Ground Coriander for citrus and floral notes
Oregano for earthy, aromatic and slightly bitter in the fajitas seasoning
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes for spice
Kosher Salt and Pepper
Red Onion
White Mushrooms
Jalapeno Peppers
Bell Peppers, mixed colors depending on your preference
Cheese for melting over the fries
Cojita cheese for a salty and briny topping
Large Russet Potatoes
Avocado Oil for tossing the potatoes, and for the fajita veggies
Avocado or guacamole topping-creamy and cooling topping addition
Tomatoes for color and topping
Cilantro – warm, nutty and fresh flavor to top off the dish
Marinating the Flank Steak
We kept it super simple to make this an easy weeknight meal. Popped the steak into a bag or container rubbed down with lime juice, and generously coated with salt, pepper and the homemade fajita seasoning for about an hour.
Grilling the Flank Steak
First thing, get familiar with the grill. Start with a clean grill to avoid flare ups and burned sections of your beautiful ribeye. You must use a thermometer as it’s not possible to account for your meat by time and temp alone.
Preheat the grill to 450 degrees. You’re going to put the quickly marinated meat onto hot grates, close the grill and leave it for approximately 5 minutes. It’s easy to overcook your meat, and you can always cook it longer, but can’t uncook it if you’ve gone too far.
My recommendation for how long to cook flank steaks is in the 10-12 minute range for medium depending on the variables for heat, thickness, amount of times you’re opening the grill. Hence, the thermometer necessity.
If you see that the grill marks are prominent on the side laying over the heat flip the ribeye steaks to cook on the other side. Once the steaks are on for another 3 ish minutes with the lid closed, check the temperature. For the medium temp you see in this photo I removed it at 135 degree internal temperature.
What French Fries Can I use?
You can ABSOLUTELY follow the instructions below and make your own delicious air fryer french fries with minimal fuss, oil, ingredients. However, you can also take a shortcut to delicious Fajita Fries by using frozen french fries and following those instructions to prepare. I do encourage that you buy thicker cut fries since they will bake or air fry initially and then again to melt the cheese and you want them to be crispy on the outside, tender on the inside so that they do not dry out.
Recipe Tips & Variations
For best results, you’ll want to ensure you let the beef come toward room temperature for 10 minutes before seasoning immediately before grilling on a preheated grill.
For best results, stop the french fries about half way before they are finished. Finish them while the steak is resting to serve them hot and crispy.
For best results, have all the toppings ready to roll so that they are dressed as soon as the fries are hot, crispy and covered in hot cheese.
Storing & Reheating
Storing: This complete dish really is best fresh, butyou can store the leftover steak in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating: You can eat the steak cold, or gently warmed in the air fryer, or a skillet with a little oil.
These loaded Fajita Fries made with grilled flank steak fajitas, melty cheese, and every topping imaginable will absolutely satisfy your comfort food cravings while still coming together super quickly. It’s your favorite Tex Mex meal reimagined to be a cross between fajitas and loaded french fries. It’s easily pulled together for a weeknight dinner or fun for a date night in. Snacky dinners are so satisfying and exciting especially when the base is homemade french fries!
Scale
Ingredients
Fajita Seasoning Ingredients:
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp chili flakes
*I prefer to not add salt to my seasoning blends and add salt to the beef directly.
3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½ inch fries
1–2 tbsp avocado oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Fajita Vegetable Ingredients:
1 tbsp avocado oil, divided as needed
1/2 medium red onion, sliced into strips
8 ounces of white mushrooms, sliced
1–2 bell peppers, sliced into strips
3 jalapenos, seeds removed and sliced into strips
1 tsp of fajita seasoning
Kosher salt and pepper
French Fry Toppings:
½ cup of grated mozzarella cheese, or preferred cheddar blend
¼ cup diced tomatoes
½ a jalapeno, seeded and sliced
½ a medium avocado, sliced
2 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped
½ lime cut into wedges
2 tbsp cotija cheese, crumbled
Instructions
How To Make Grilled Flank Fajita Fries
Step 1: Chop the peeled potatoes into even french fries – somewhere between a matchstick and a wedge. You do want these to be thicker than you’d normally go to ensure that they are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside when they are baked twice, and add to a large bowl covered in cold water for 30 minutes which removes the starch and helps them crisp up.
Step 2: Remove your Country Natural Beef Flank Steak from the fridge and rub it well with the fajita seasoning, olive oil and lime juice for 30 minutes – an hour, then allow it to come toward room temperature.
Step 3: Sautee the fajita vegetables in batches (onions, then peppers, then mushrooms) in a hot cast iron skillet with avocado oil as needed. Once they are all cooked season with salt, pepper and fajita seasoning.
Step 4: Remove the potatoes from the water, rinse 2-3 times with cold water to remove excess starch. Lay them on clean kitchen towels and dry thoroughly. Add some avocado oil, salt to the dry potatoes and put into a single layer in the air fryer for best results at 380 degrees for 14 minutes. At this time, pause until the steaks are resting.
Step 5: Preheat your grill to 450 degrees. Place the steak onto the preheated grill. You’re going to put the meat onto hot grates, close the grill and leave it for approximately 5 minutes. If you see that the grill marks are prominent on the side laying over the heat, flip the steak to cook on the other side. Once the steak is on for another 3 ish minutes with the lid closed, check the temperature. For medium remove them at 135 degree internal temperature.
Step 6: Let the steak rest for 10 full minutes while you finish the french fries to your preferred doneness. Toss the cooked french fries with salt, pepper and spread onto a sheet pan. Quickly sprinkle the cheese over top, and melt it under the broiler or back into the air fryer.
Step 7: Top the cheesy french fries with the fajita vegetables, then the sliced steak, avocado, tomato, sliced jalapeno, cilantro, cotija and lime juice or any of your preferred toppings – beans, olives are great additions!
