I’m making big plans.
We might get blasted with snow this weekend. While I’m deciding whether to rewatch old shows or make a niche playlist for the housebound hours, there’s a much more important question: what are you planning to make for the Super Bowl or this weekend’s playoff games? It’s the perfect excuse to braise short ribs, whip up a dangerously good cheese dip, or put together a spread for friends. Even if the game itself isn’t the main draw for me, I love having a spread ready for whatever marathon TV session that inevitably happens.
Can we talk about how orange everything looks?
Photography has always been my least favorite part of blogging, and two things I consistently struggle to photograph are triangle slices (finding the right angle is a nightmare) and orange foods. I’m probably scarred by the warm, yellow-orange lighting of the early blog days. I love eating orange foods, but they often photograph as overly orange. Eddie didn’t care — he dove right in and may have finished off an entire sheet pan of fries.
These sweet potato fries, though — I can forgive the color because they are literal heaven. I seasoned them generously with a smoky, sweet BBQ-style spice blend and treated them like little spirals stuck in a snow globe of flavor.
The secret to perfectly crispy sweet potato fries, whether curly or straight, is the double fry. After the first fry they were slightly soft and not fully crisp, but as soon as they hit the second fry they turned golden and crunchy on the outside while remaining tender and sweet inside. I was obsessed.
I used canola oil for the big batch, though I’ve made smaller ones in coconut oil and loved the flavor. Coconut oil is delicious, but it feels like a waste for large-scale frying, so canola or vegetable oil is a solid, economical choice.
When I get on a burger kick, I really get on a burger kick. A burger piled high with toppings is my answer to almost any craving. Early on I ordered “plain cheeseburger” out of fear they’d forget the cheese; later I learned to embrace extra toppings. Now I love loads of spring greens, caramelized onions, mushrooms, mustard (always), and yes — fries on top of the burger. A fry or two adds great texture and makes the whole thing more fun, just like tucking potato chips into a sandwich.
I promise: it’s worth it.
My favorite burger toppings right now are a three-way tie between bacon jam, truffled aioli and shoestring onions — those crunchy onion frizzles are irresistible. Sometimes when a burger has dozens of toppings, I actually prefer it wrapped in crisp lettuce. It’s an occasional indulgence that keeps the burger manageable and fresh.
I wanted sweet potato fries on the side and knew they’d end up on the burger, so I spiralized the potatoes into curly fries. I tried a few spiralizer settings and liked them all, but the very thin, shoestring-style curls were my favorite. They’re perfect for dipping — chipotle ketchup is my go-to — and as a burger topping they compete with the onion straws.
Now, on to the burger. I mixed a bit of BBQ sauce into the ground beef before forming the patties, then loaded them with way too much Havarti cheese because it melts so beautifully. I used spring greens, more BBQ sauce when serving, a pile of bread-and-butter pickles (they’re quickly becoming a favorite), and the sweet potato curls. I toasted sesame buns brushed with butter for a few minutes in the oven — simple, but life-changing.
Sold yet? Don’t forget an extra plate of pickles.
BBQ Havarti Burgers with Sweet Potato Curly Fries
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Ingredients
BBQ havarti burgers
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 ounces havarti cheese, sliced
- 4 to 6 brioche or sesame seed buns
- spring greens for serving
sweet potato curly fries
- 3 sweet potatoes, spiralized
- vegetable or canola oil for frying
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
BBQ havarti burgers
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Place the beef in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the BBQ sauce and gently mix with your hands to incorporate. Form 4 to 6 patties depending on the size you prefer. Heat a large skillet or grill over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. Cook the patties until browned on both sides and cooked to your desired doneness (about 3–4 minutes per side for medium-well, depending on thickness). A minute or two before they finish, top each patty with sliced Havarti and cover to let the cheese melt.
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To assemble, spread a little BBQ sauce on the bottom bun, add spring greens, place the patty on top, add more BBQ sauce, pickles if you like them, and finish with a generous pile of sweet potato fries.
sweet potato curly fries
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Spiralize the sweet potatoes and place the spirals in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and soak for 45 minutes. After soaking, drain and place the spirals between two towels, patting firmly to remove as much moisture as possible.
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Heat oil in a large stockpot to about 350°F (use a candy thermometer if you have one). Line two baking sheets with paper towels. Stir together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and black pepper.
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Working in batches, fry the spirals for 2–3 minutes until they begin to change texture but aren’t fully golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. When all batches are done, fry them a second time in batches for 1–2 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain again, then toss while hot in the seasoning mixture.
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