Crispy, baked sweet potato waffle fries topped with a white Cheddar beer cheese sauce; then sprinkled with fresh bacon bits.

Originally I set out to make Applebee's copycat Brew Pub Loaded Waffle Fries; however, I decided to use sweet potato fries instead so technically, this isn't a copycat recipe.

In all honesty, my family prefers sweet potato fries over regular anyway so it was a win-win. These Loaded Brew Pub Sweet Potato Fries were delicious and made the perfect game day snack.

Suggested Equipment

Ingredients Needed

Frozen Sweet Potato Waffle Fries: If you don't like sweet potatoes, by all means you can use regular frozen waffle fries or any frozen potato for that matter with this recipe.

Butter

All Purpose Flour

Brew or Ale of Choice: In keeping with how Applebee's makes it, I used Belgian White Blue Moon beer.

Heavy Cream

Shredded White Cheddar Cheese

Applewood Smoked Bacon: This is the type of bacon the restaurant uses, but you can use any type of bacon you prefer (uncured, low sodium, regular, etc). You'll need ½ cup of crumbled bacon; which is approximately 7-8 slices cooked.

Ranch Dressing (Optional Dipping Sauce)

Cook the Waffle Fries

There are a few ways to cook the sweet potato fries in order to get them crispy. Because I don't own an air fryer and I try not to fry many things in oil, I opted to bake them for this recipe, but any method will work.

Bake: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the frozen sweet potato fries in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook 25-30 minutes until crispy. You may want to turn them over halfway through cooking.
Air Fryer: You can read how to cook frozen sweet potatoes in an air fryer from Melanie Cooks (again, since I don't own one myself)
Fry in Oil: Heat a layer of light oil like Canola or Vegetable oil in a deep fryer or large skillet to 350 degrees F. Place the waffle fries in the hot oil so that they are covered; then cook 3-4 minutes until they are crispy. Drain on paper towels before assembling.

Make the Beer Cheese Sauce

While the sweet potatoes are cooking it's time to make the white cheddar beer sauce.

Start by melting butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to form a roux; then add the beer and mix well until smooth.

Next, add the heavy cream and shredded cheese and mix until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is thickened enough that it sticks to the back of a spoon.

Cook the Bacon

Everyone has their favorite method of cooking bacon whether it be baking, frying in a skillet or in the microwave. Use whichever method works best for you.

Once the bacon is cooked, drain any excess grease on paper towels, cool; then crumble into pieces.

Assemble the Loaded Brew Pub Sweet Potato Fries

Arrange the cooked sweet potato waffle fries on a serving dish; then drizzle the cheese sauce on top. Sprinkle with the cooked bacon bits and your ready to serve!

We liked ours on their own, but if the fries are crispy enough to dip, you can serve with some Ranch dressing!.

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