Pier-Rail Garlic Fries

Served up by LANI, the Stewardess with all the world’s recipes.

Prep: 10 min · Cook: 25 min · Serves: 4 as a snack

Why surfers love it: After a cold paddle you want something hot, salty and shareable that does not need a knife. These fries hit the pier-rail vibe: crisp outside, soft inside, and loud with garlic so the whole crew leans in.

Ingredients

• 2 lb steak fries or shoestring fries (frozen is fine, or cut russets into ½-in sticks)
• 3 tbsp neutral oil, if baking or air-frying from raw potatoes
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 5–6 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tbsp)
• ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Optional: pinch of red pepper flakes or a squeeze of lemon

Method

1. Cook the fries until deep golden and crisp: oven at 425°F on a hot sheet (flip once), air fryer per package, or deep-fry at 350°F. Salt lightly while they are still hot.
2. While the fries finish, melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium-low. Add the minced garlic and cook 45–60 seconds until fragrant, not browned. Pull off the heat.
3. Dump the hot fries into a big bowl. Pour the garlic butter over them and toss hard so every fry gets a coat.
4. Add the Parmesan, parsley, pepper and a pinch more salt. Toss again. Finish with red pepper flakes or lemon if you like. Serve right away in a paper boat or shared platter.

Tip: Mince the garlic fine so it clings; big chunks burn and taste harsh. If you cut your own fries, soak them in cold water 20 minutes, dry well, then roast — they crisp better. Keep a bag of frozen steak fries in the freezer for a ten-minute after-sesh win.

Surf-town roots

Garlic fries are a California pier and ballpark classic, the kind of paper-boat snack you grab walking the boards from Hermosa to Huntington after the last set. Our version is built for a sheet pan or air fryer at home so the crew can share without a deep fryer.