Smiley Fries
These crispy Smiley Fries are identical to McCain® Smiles and only requires 2 ingredients to make!
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What are Smiley Fries?
Smiley Fries are a light and crispy, deep-fried potato snack made in the shape of a smiley face. This cute snack is inspired by the iconic McCain® Smiles – a childhood favourite, which comes frozen.
These Smiley Fries only requires 2 ingredients to make, and will surely bring a smile to everyone’s face. They make the perfect crispy accompaniment for sandwiches, chicken fingers, and even breakfast dishes.
These crispy Smiley Fries taste good as is, or dipped in some cold ketchup. If you like my Smiley Fry recipe, try out my Potato Cheese Sticks recipe for a cheesy version.
Please watch my video, as I walk you through how to make them, and hopefully entertain you with my witty sense of humour.
Now let’s get Smiley Fry-ing!
What type of potato should I use for Smiley Fries?
For this 2-ingredient Smiley Fries recipe, I suggest using yellow potatoes as they hold together better than russet potatoes. Russet potatoes are starchier, and will thus fall apart more easily.
What do Smiley Fries taste like?
When you first take a bite, you get that light and crispy crust of the french fry. Then you chew a little, and there is a slight chew and lovely earthy potato flavour.
Since the fries puffed up a bit, it makes the fries airy and less dense than the typical fry. The addition of ketchup gives a nice tang and balances out this salty, fried goodness.
Ingredients for Smiley Fries
Potatoes
Yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold) are needed in order to properly roll the dough without crumbling.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch helps bind the mashed potatoes together to form the smiley face shape.
How to make McDonald’s Hash Browns
1.
Add cornstarch to mashed potatoes and mix
To a pot of boiling water, add in 1 tbsp of salt and the potato chunks. Cook for 16-18 mins or until tender.
Drain and transfer potatoes into a mixing bowl. Mash the potatoes with a fork or push them through strainer until smooth.
Mix the cornstarch into the mashed potatoes until well combined.
The pota-dough (get it? potato dough haha) should have a similar consistency to playdough. You should be able to form it into a ball and toss it around in your hands without it crumbling everywhere.
Note: Feel free to add more cornstarch if your dough is not the same consistency as mine.
The consistency may be different because the amount of water your potatoes absorb varies depending on the size of the chunks.
2.
Cut potato dough into a round shape
Transfer the potato dough to a surface lined with wax or parchment paper, and pat the dough down until it’s a thick disk shape.
Roll the dough with a rolling pin until it’s around the thickness of your left pinky, or 1 cm thick.
Using a round cookie cutter (2 in or 50 mm in diameter), strategically place the cutter and press into the dough. Roll the scraps into a ball and repeat.
Transfer the cut-out dough onto a pan lined with wax or parchment paper. I managed to get 24 pieces out of the dough.
3.
Imprint the smiley face shape
Use a straw to pop out two eyes. They should be 1/3 of the way down from the head, with a 1.5 cm gap between the eyes.
Take a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon and use it to indent into the face, into a cute little smile. The smile should be 1 cm up from the chin.
Take a chopstick and dip the pointy part into water. With the wet chopstick, scrape through the indented smile until you can see the wax paper on the other side. We are aiming for an open-mouthed smile.
Slide them into your freezer for a minimum of 30 mins to firm up (overnight is best).
4.
Deep-fry smiley fries until crispy, golden brown
To a medium pot, fill it up with enough vegetable oil to let the fries fully submerge. Turn the heat to medium-high until the oil reaches 350°F (177°C).
Gently slide in a couple frozen smiley fries into oil, letting it fry for around 3-4 minutes or until crispy, golden brown.
Note: Make sure to fry in batches and wiggle them around a little in the oil to prevent them from sticking to each other. Do not touch them too much while frying in the oil.
Transfer the Smiley Fries to a wire rack to cool.
Serve with a side of your favourite French fry dipping sauce, mine is cold ketchup.
Dig In!
There we have it, Smiley Fries! And while the fries are still crispy, let’s dig in.
Smiley Fries
Equipment
- 1 wax or parchment paper
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 round cookie cutter 2 in, 50 mm in diameter
- 1 straw for eyes
- 1 spoon 1/2 tsp measuring spoon for smile
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow potatoes 500 g, chunks
- 1 tbsp salt for boiling water
- ¾ cup cornstarch 95 g
Instructions
Mashed potatoes
- To a pot of boiling water, add in 1 tbsp of salt and the potato chunks. Cook for 16-18 mins or until tender. Drain and transfer potatoes into a mixing bowl.
- Mash the potatoes with a fork or push them through strainer until smooth.
Potato dough
- Mix the cornstarch into the mashed potatoes until a solid dough is formed (Note 1).
- Transfer dough ball onto a surface lined with wax paper and roll dough into 1 inch thickness.
Cut out the head
- Press the round cookie cutter into the dough, transferring the cut-out dough to a tray lined with wax paper.
Cut out the smiley face
- Use a straw to pop out two eyes (Note 2).
- Take a spoon and use it to indent into the face to create a smile (Note 3).
- With a wet chopstick, scrape through the indented smile to create an open-mouthed smile.
- Slide the tray of Smiley Fries into the freezer for a minimum of 30 mins (overnight is best).
Deep-fry the Smiley Fries
- To a medium pot filled with vegetable oil, turn the heat to medium-high until the oil reaches 350°F (177°C).
- Gently slide the frozen smiley fries into oil, letting it fry for around 3-4 minutes or until crispy, golden brown (Note 4).
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve with your favourite dipping sauce and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- The dough should have a similar consistency to play-dough. You should be able to form it into a ball and toss it around in your hands without it crumbling everywhere.
- The eyes should be 1/3 of the way down from the top, with a 1.5 cm gap between the eyes.
- The smile should be 1 cm up from the chin.
- Make sure to fry in batches and wiggle them around a little in the oil to prevent them from sticking to each other. Do not touch them too much while frying in the oil.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me @lookcatchu so I can drool over them.
Can these be frozen? If so, how long can they last in the freezer and should I freeze them before or after cooking?
Hi Cristie! You may freeze them before or after you fry them. I usually like to fry them all and then freeze the ones i don’t eat, and then simply reheat it in the oven or air fryer until crisp! If you freeze them before cooking, you may simply deep fry them straight from the freezer until golden crisp.
Can I spray with oil then cook in air fryer or oven then freeze and cook from frozen? Hoping to make a big batch to freeze and use for kids dinners