Martini Fries

A martini-adjacent situation.

The martini has always been a drink with opinions. Depending on who you ask, it should be gin or vodka, stirred or shaken, bone-dry or glistening with olive brine.

The “dirty” martini, brightened with a splash of that salty olive liquor, has long been the cocktail’s slightly unruly cousin, while the “filthy” martini simply commits harder to the idea, adding enough brine to suggest the bartender may have briefly tipped the olive jar into the glass. Somewhere along the way, the garnish evolved as well: olives stuffed with pimento, garlic, jalapeño, and most dramatically, crumbly blue cheese.

These fries borrow that spirit. Crisp, hot French fries become the base for a martini-adjacent situation: tossed with minced garlic, buttery Castelvetrano olives, and plenty of salt and pepper, then served with a cool, tangy blue cheese dressing on the side. The effect is part cocktail snack, part bar-food fantasy.

Part cocktail snack, part bar-food fantasy.

The Recipe

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

For the fries

• 2 lbs frozen French fries

• 2 Tbsp olive oil (if using fresh fries)

• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

• ½ cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and roughly chopped

• Kosher salt, to taste

• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

For the blue cheese dressing

• ½ cup sour cream

• ¼ cup mayonnaise

• ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar

• 1–2 Tbsp milk or buttermilk (to thin)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Cook the fries.
   Prepare the fries according to package instructions.

2. Make the dressing.
   In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, blue cheese, and lemon juice. Add milk or buttermilk a tablespoon at a time until the dressing reaches a thick but dippable consistency. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. Dress the fries.
   Transfer the hot fries to a large bowl. Add the minced garlic and chopped Castelvetrano olives and toss gently so the heat of the fries slightly softens the garlic and releases the olive oils.

4. Season.
   Taste and finish with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Serve

Pile the fries onto a platter and serve immediately with the blue cheese dressing on the side for dipping. Best enjoyed with a cold martini nearby, dirty, filthy, or somewhere happily in between.