We, as a society, do a lot of things to and with french fries. The United States plunges them into ketchup (and sometimes mustard), the UK splashes them with malt vinegar, a good portion of Europe dips them in mayo, and Canadians drown them in gravy. We cover them in chili, cheese, and chili-cheese, and some people swirl them in ranch dressing, but you rarely—if ever—see them dipped in butter, which is weird when you consider that french fries are a potato, and potatoes love butter.
On a recent trip to the (hot and sticky) Alabama gulf coast, I ordered a pound of blue crab claws, which came in a pool of incredibly garlicky garlic butter. My boyfriend opted for the fried shrimp and french fries, and I took the liberty of stealing a few of the latter to dip into the the garlicky crab butter.
I don’t think it will shock you to know that the combination was delicious. The slick, pungent, seafood-infused butter soaked into the crispy fry, creating a very pleasing, if slightly greasy, salty, buttery bite. Again, the combination potato and butter is nothing new, which is why it’s so confusing to me that dipping french fries in butter isn’t more of “a thing.”
Luckily, we can make it “a thing.” All we have to do is start dipping fries in butter. (Easy for us!) You can dip fries in softened, room-temperature butter (like I do with potato chips), drawn butter, browned butter, garlic butter, or compound butter. I think they’d be particularly nice with black garlic butter.
If you wish to get additional dairy involved, you can mix in a little Icelandic yogurt for a tangier dipping butter, or blend your butter with brie for a cheesier affair. But start with a humble ramekin of drawn butter. I think you’ll find it perfectly pleasing, without any futzing.