When it comes to vegan comfort food, you can’t get much better than dirty fries. Dirty fries are a hugely popular dish that feature fries (or chips) loaded with various toppings.

They typically start with a base of crispy, golden French fries, which are then topped with a variety of ingredients that can include cheese, meat, jalapeños, onions, as well as various condiments and sauces.

The term “dirty” refers to the messy nature of the dish, stemming from all the toppings that are heaped on them. Originating as a casual, comfort food item often found in bars, food trucks, and fast-food restaurants, dirty fries have gained huge popularity in recent years.

While traditional dirty fries recipes are heavy on meat and dairy, it is possible to make them completely vegan. The below recipe comes from Matt Pritchard’s new book, Dirty Vegan Fast and Easy, which is available to buy now.

Here’s how to make it:

Vegan Dirty Fries recipe

You’ve had a massive night out and you’re craving hangover food? I have the solution, these dirty fries are bangin’. Sure, it has a fair bit of processed foods, but who really cares when you’re on the sofa suffering? And if you can’t be arsed to make your own chips, then store-bought chips will do.

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Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
400 g can chopped tomatoes
Bunch of basil or oregano, chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic glaze
Salt and pepper

For the fries

1 litre sunflower oil, for deep-frying
4 large Maris Piper potatoes, cut into batons

For the assembly

1 tbsp olive oil
2 vegan burger patties, broken into small chunks
60 g vegan lardons
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 red chili, finely chopped
80 g finely sliced vegan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6.
Make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sweat for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the tomatoes, basil (or oregano), sugar and balsamic glaze. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Make the fries. Heat the sunflower oil in a deep fryer or deep saucepan to 180°C (350°F), or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Carefully lower the fries into the hot oil and deep-fry for 8–10 minutes, or until deeply golden. Tip the cooked fries onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chunks of vegan patties and the lardons and sauté for 5 minutes, until cooked.
Put the fries into an ovenproof dish. Top with the vegan patties and lardons, then tip in the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with half of the spring onions. Top with the chilli and vegan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, until all the cheese is melted.
Garnish with the remaining spring onions. Now, let it give you that long-awaited hug while you melt into the couch and recover from last night’s mayhem.

This recipe was republished with permission from Dirty Vegan: Fast and Easy by Matt Pritchard. Published by Hamlyn.