Skinny Texas Cheese Fries

Guiltless cheesy seasoned fries topped with bacon, jalapeños and scallions served with a cool homemade low-fat buttermilk ranch on the side.

Folks... this is sooooo good!! Pure comfort food!!

So when it's cheese fries you are craving, make them yourself and you'll save hundreds of calories and have better portion control preparing it yourself. A half order at Chili's is a whopping 1260 calories and 89 grams of fat, yikes!!

This recipe is a serving for two, if you want to make this into a meal, why not serve a large fresh garden salad on the side, with more ranch dressing! You'll have those carbs you crave and feel completely satisfied. 

I left the skin on for added fiber, and I opted to use a full fat cheddar so that the cheese melts beautifully, I just used less of it and I think it was perfect. if you prefer using reduced fat cheese, Cabot and Sargento are two brands I like to use.

Skinny Texas Cheese Fries 
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 2 • Serving Size: 1/2 • Old Points: 6 pt • Points+: 7 pt
Calories: 259 • Fat: 12.3 g • Protein: 10.1 g • Carb: 29 g • Fiber: 2.9 g • Sugar: 1.4 g
Sodium: 590.5 mg (without salt)

If you make the homemade low-fat buttermilk ranch ad 1 point plus or 52 calories.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium potatoes (2/3 lb total), yukon gold or russet, washed and dried (skin on)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 1 slice center cut bacon, cooked & finely chopped
• 1/3 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp diced scallions
• 1 tbsp sliced pickled Jalapeno (jarred on canned)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up. Lightly coat with cooking spray.

Cut each potato lengthwise into 1/4 inch thin slices; then cut each slice into 1/4 inch fries.
In a large bowl, combine cut potatoes and oil; toss well. Add seasoning (paprika to salt and pepper). Toss to coat.

Place potatoes in a single layer on a lightly greased large baking sheet. Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until tender crisp, turning once half way through (depending on thickness this may require more or less time).  

Remove from oven, place fries into two small oven safe dishes (or one large dish for sharing), top with cheddar cheese, sliced jalapenos, scallions and bacon bits and return to oven for  about 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Serve with low fat buttermilk ranch dressing and serve.