Greek Fries with Shrimp
Greek Fries with Shrimp- Hand cut, air fried potatoes are loaded with Greek style toppings including shrimp, feta, tomatoes, and homemade tzatziki.
January 15, 2021 by Nicole Collins
Isn’t it funny how sometimes we have a sixth sense about our loved ones?
It’s kinda crazy. ESP is really a thing.
You know what I mean. Sometimes, you just can’t get someone off of your mind. So, you reach out to them at the exact moment that they needed you the most.
Or sometimes, it’s just as simple as sending the same random text/meme/gif at the exact same time.
It happens with the bestie ALLLLL of the time. If I had a nickel for every time she told me to get out of her head, we’d both be rich!
The day that I was planning to test today’s recipe, my friend sent me a text asking me if I wanted to grab dinner at a local food truck. A Greek food truck! I declined since I was already planning to make this, and I actually ended up making extra and sending it to go with her. But, what are the chances? Of allllll the days and alllll the food trucks that rotate through this particular location…that’s true friendship when even your tummies are on the same page!
I’m certainly no professional. But, I’d like to think that today’s recipe could give that food truck a run for their money.
So today, we’re making Greek Fries with Shrimp!
This recipe…WOW.
Here’s the run down. We’re going to hand cut french fries, crisp them up in the air fryer, then load them up with the most delicious toppings in the universe. Sound like a good plan?
Let’s start with the french fries. You guys know that I LOVE me a Yukon gold potato, but we want a good ol’ russet potato for this recipe. There’s nothing that beats that fluffiness inside of a french fry with that crispy skin still on. Wowza. So, all we do is cut our potatoes in a french fry like shape, toss them in a little oil along with some salt and pepper, then into the air fryer they go to do their thing.
Now, there’s two things to note about these fries. 1. We’re going to let the potatoes soak in some cold water, then we’re going to double rinse them before we season them up for air frying. This helps to wash off as much potato starch as we can which is what contributes to a really crispy french fry. And 2. If you don’t have an air fryer, you could make these in the oven. But, I 100% prefer the texture of the air fried fry vs. the oven baked. The air fryer fries cook a little faster too. I’m not saying you NEED to get an air fryer or anything, but…I highly recommend it.
We’re going to top our fries with all the things. For protein, we’ll add some succulent shrimp to the party. The shrimp are seasoned with a simple mix of Greek seasoning, garlic powder, and a little salt and pepper. Then, we’ll cook them in the same air fryer basket that cooked the potatoes. Talk about easy clean up! And of course, the shrimp can also be roasted in the oven if you don’t have an air fryer.
Once our hot components are ready, it’s time to pile on the cooler components. Grape tomatoes, red onion, crumbled feta, and a homemade tzatziki sauce all get piled high on top of our french fries. Talk about a good looking mountain of food. The tzatziki is super easy to whip up too. Toss some yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, dill, lemon, and seasoning into a bowl; and mix. That’s it. Easy breezy!
After we have our plate built, the end result is basically magic. The fries are so warm and savory. The shrimp is herbaceous and juicy. The cooler veggie toppings add a nice contrast to the heat coming from below. And, that creamy sauce is cooling and tangy. It certainly helps make sure nothing feels too heavy. Especially when we’re shoving our faces with the best possible loaded fries.
And bonus…this is basically health food. There’s nothing offensive about this meal. It’s high in protein. There are plenty of veggies. And, nothing is drowning in oil. Did you think being healthy could look this good?!?
Ok, everyone. If anyone needs me, I’ll be not so discretely shoving my face all up in these fries!
I hope you enjoy! And, let’s eat!
Greek Fries with Shrimp
Serves: 4 Print
For the French Fries:
2 lbs russet potatoes, skin on and washed
2 ½ tbsp canola oil
2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
For the Tzatziki Sauce:
1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
½ of a cucumber, (about ½ cup), seeds removed and grated
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tbsp dill, chopped
½ tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
For the Shrimp:
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 tsp greek seasoning
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
To Serve:
½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 green onions, green parts only, chopped
Directions:
Make the French Fries: Slice potatoes lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices. Then lay the slices flat, and cut ¼ inch sticks to make a french fry shape. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl of cold water, and allow to soak for 30 mins.
Meanwhile, make the Tzatziki Sauce: Give the grated cucumber a squeeze with your hands to release some of the extra liquid. Add the cucumber to a mixing bowl along with the greek yogurt, garlic, dill, olive oil, lemon juice, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Stir well to combine. Set aside in the fridge to chill.
After potatoes have soaked, drain the water, rinse and drain the potatoes again, then transfer potatoes to a clean kitchen towel. Use paper towels to thoroughly dry the potatoes as best as you can. Wash out the soaking bowl, and dry it well. Add potatoes back to the bowl along with canola oil, salt, and pepper. Toss the potatoes to evenly coat in oil and spices.
Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees. Arrange potatoes in a single layer (all fries will not fit at once), and air fry for 16-18 minutes, tossing the fries once half way through cooking. Repeat with additional batches until all potatoes have been cooked. Alternately, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread fries out in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 40-45 mins tossing the fries once half way through cooking. Set fries aside. If desired, keep fries warm by spreading them on a parchment lined baking sheet, and keeping them in an oven set to 200 degrees.
Make the shrimp: Use the bowl that mixed the fries, and drain any leftover liquid. Add the shrimp to the bowl along with grapeseed oil, greek seasoning, garlic powder, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Toss to coat the shrimp.
With the air fryer still preheated to 390 degrees, add the shrimp in a single layer to the air fryer basket (all shrimp will probably not fit at once). Cook for 4-5 mins until the shrimp are cooked through and opaque. Repeat with additional batches until all shrimp have been cooked. Alternately, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange shrimp in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast for 8-10 mins until shrimp are completely cooked through and opaque. Set shrimp aside.
Assemble the fries: Arrange french fries on individual plates or a serving platter. Top with shrimp, red onion, tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, and chopped green onions. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*I 1000% prefer making the french fries in the air fryer as opposed to roasting them in the oven. The air fryer is faster, and I like the texture a lot better. I recommend air frying over baking if you have the option. You could also cheat and used store bought french fries, but you just can't beat the taste of a skin on russet fry. I used the air crisp feature on my Ninja Foodi Grill, and I was able to knock out the fries in 2 batches. Plus, you can't beat that you can use the same air fryer basket for both the fries and the shrimp.
*I like to use the smaller grates on a handheld cheese grater to grate both the cucumber and the garlic. Doing a fine shred on both helps them really disperse evenly in the sauce.
*Cucumber holds a lot of water that we don't necessarily want in our sauce if you like a thicker texture like me. Giving the shredded cucumbers a squeeze helps to keep that extra liquid from thinning out our tzatziki. If you prefer a thinner sauce, you can skip the step of squeezing out the liquid.
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