Ingredients

For the fries:

• 4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
• 1/4 cup canola oil, melted coconut oil, or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste

For the cheese sauce:

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least several hours
• 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons Vegetable Better Than Bouillon (low sodium)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 pickled jalapeño, seeded
• 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeño brine
• 1 tablespoon liquid aminos

Directions

For the fries:

1. Preheat oven to 475.
2. To prep potatoes, cut in half lengthwise, then cut the halves into slices. Cut those slices into matchstick-like pieces. Take a paper towel and pat them to take the moisture out. This helps them to crisp up in the oven.
3. In a large bowl, whisk oil, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add in fries and toss until they are evenly coated with oil and spices.
4. Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the fries out in one layer, making sure there is space between each fry. Do not crowd, or they will not crisp up nicely (I have learned this the hard way!).
5. Place in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, taking them out to flip half way through the time.

For the cheese sauce:

1. Add cashews, carrot, bell pepper, onion, garlic, water, and bouillon to a medium pot. Allow to simmer on medium heat until the carrots and peppers become tender.
2. Take off heat and allow to cool down a bit before transferring to a blender. Add nutritional yeast, jalapeño, brine, and liquid aminos to the blender. Blend on high until completely smooth. Transfer back to pot, keep heated (but not boiling) until fries are done.

To assemble:

1. Transfer fries to a platter, plate, etc. Drizzle cheese sauce over the fries. Top with diced tomato, black beans, red onion, green onions, fresh cilantro, guacamole, salsa, vegan sour cream, and fresh jalapeños (or anything else your heart desires!).
2. Enjoy!