Celebrate National French Fry Day by Piling Them on a Breakfast Sandwich

I am not big on “national” food days, because I don’t need a taco, a doughnut, or—in today’s case—french fries. The freebies that sometimes accompany these fake holidays are nice, but I’ve never been able to acquire the free thing without also buying a not-free thing that is sold by the establishment running the promotion. (That is indeed how they get you!)

But National French Fry Day just happens to come on the heels of me discovering that french fries are the potato to put on a breakfast sandwich, so I guess I’m celebrating.

It all happened because I ran out of frozen hash brown patties, but craved the starchy cronch of fried potato pieces in my breakfast sandwich. The only potato I had in my freezer (or in my house, for that matter) was a bag of frozen fries, so I air fried them and piled them onto a sandwich with a fried egg, American cheese, a little mayo, and lots of hot sauce.

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Flavor- and texture-wise, the experience was very similar to eating a hash-browned breakfast sandwich, with one key difference: The entanglement of potatoes helped hold the sandwich together by creating a little nest for the egg to rest in. This not only prevented the slippery fried egg from sliding off the sandwich, it created a sort of yolk dam, which kept more—if not all—of the golden, liquid yolk from spilling onto the plate.

Frozen fries work well here—they only need about 15 minutes in the air fryer or 20 in a toaster oven to get nice and crispy. Build your sandwich by placing your little fry nest on the bottom piece of toast, then slide the egg onto the fries and top with cheese or bacon or whatever else you want. A french fry breakfast sandwich also does really well with lots of condiments, so don’t be afraid to slather them on. (I’m not usually big on ketchup in this situation, but it just works with french fries.)