American
Loaded Fries Skillet
Frozen fries bake until crisp, then cheddar and scallions melt over them for a few minutes. A fried egg on each serving and a spoon of sour cream make the pan a dinner instead of a side dish.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- The fries are baked hot and in one layer so the coating can crisp before the cheese goes on.
- Scallions ride with the cheddar and soften instead of staying raw and sharp.
- Sour cream is added after the oven so it stays cool against the hot potatoes.
- One fried egg per person is the part that makes the plate a meal rather than a snack.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the fries with the oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
- 2
Spread them in one layer on a sheet pan. Bake until deep golden and crisp at the edges, 25 to 30 minutes, turning once halfway.
- 3
Sprinkle the cheddar and sliced scallions over the fries. Bake until the cheese melts, 4 to 6 minutes.
- 4
While the cheese melts, heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat until it foams.
- 5
Fry the eggs until the whites are fully set and the edges turn lacy, about 3 minutes. Cook the yolks as long as you want them; runny yolks need only that first set of the white.
- 6
Spoon sour cream over the fries and set one egg on each of the four servings.
Pro tips
- A crowded pan steams the fries, so use two pans if they overlap.
- Add the cheese only after the fries are already crisp, or the cheese melts onto soft potatoes.
- Salt the eggs lightly in the pan; the cheddar is already salty.
Easy substitutions
- Frozen french fries
- Fresh potato fries, tossed in oil and baked at 425°F until crisp
- Cheddar
- Monterey Jack in the same amount
- Sour cream
- Plain whole-milk yogurt in the same amount
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate leftover fries and cheese for up to 2 days; fry new eggs when you reheat.
Reheating
Reheat the fries on a sheet pan at 400°F until hot and crisp again, about 10 minutes, then fry the eggs.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 722
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 43 g
- Fat
- 50 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Moderate · Oven
You might also like
Chili Cheese Fries
Oven fries are covered with a quick ground-beef chili and melted cheddar. The fries do the work of a plate of chili, and they soften wherever the chili sits.
1 hr · Easy
View recipe
Loaded Potato Casserole
Sliced potatoes bake with cheddar, a little bacon, scallions, and sour cream. It is a side that can be dinner if the portions are honest.
1 hr 5 min · Easy
View recipe
Baked Mac with a Crumb
Elbow macaroni bakes in a cheddar sauce under a buttered breadcrumb crust. The crumb is the reason to turn the oven on instead of stopping at the saucepan.
40 min · Easy
View recipe
Biscuit-Topped Chicken Bake
Chicken, peas, and carrots sit in a pan gravy with refrigerated biscuits baked on top. The biscuits take most of the oven time, and the filling is a pot-pie style mix without a bottom crust.
55 min · Easy
View recipeStill hungry?
More in the same lane, not a random mix.
Cheddar Broccoli Chicken Bake
Chicken breasts and broccoli bake under a cheddar sauce built from butter, flour, milk, and cheese, not a canned soup. Breadcrumbs brown on top in the oven.
55 min · Easy
View recipe
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Rice, chicken, and broccoli bake under a cheddar sauce made from milk, flour, and cheese. It is a plain weeknight casserole, and the broccoli turns soft by the time the cheese browns.
1 hr 10 min · Easy
View recipe
Chicken Spaghetti
Spaghetti baked with chicken, green chiles, cream cheese, and cheddar. Use chicken that was cooked to 165°F. This is a potluck bake, not a braise.
45 min · Easy
View recipe
Ham and Potato Casserole
Diced ham, sliced potatoes, onion, milk, and cheddar bake into a layered casserole. The ham is already cooked, so the clock is really on the potatoes turning tender in the milk sauce.
1 hr 20 min · Easy
View recipeFind something else
From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
Read the affiliate disclosure.