Now we are tasked with finding a new couch to replace the other new (terrible) couch we bought. Yes, really. Read all about our unfortunate couch shopping misadventures here. I think we should bring these two guys with us on our next trip to the furniture gallery. We need some of that bachelor attitude. idk, idc, idgaf indeed. So after the couch sat online for a few days with it’s $20 price tag, we lowered the price to free. I guess we should have known. Then finally a man called. “Is the couch still available? Can I come get it in 40 minutes?” Two young guys showed up and hauled off the couch in 5 minutes flat. One of them had a shirt on that said, “idk, idc, idgaf.” Which I feel helps explain this whole transaction quite nicely. When you are outfitting your bachelor pad, who really cares about the state of the couch? After adding in all the cheese, whisk until perfectly smooth, and that’s it! Dip away! Serve immediately. This recipe will thicken as is approaches room temperature. It’s best to keep it on the stove on low until the last minute, whisking occasionally. It’s not Queso. It’s not nacho cheese. It’s just CHEESE, sharp cheddar cheese, but in dip form. Perfect for your fries, your chips, or your spoon. First of all, if you have never been to Shake Shack, get in the car and start driving. It is my FAVORITE place to eat fast food. Better than In N Out. Better than Five Guys. Shake Shack has the best burgers, the best shakes, the best fries (with cheese sauce!!! I mean come on!) No surprise, the homemade one was better. It was more flavorful. I followed the exact recipe as shared on their Instagram account, but they must have to add some preservatives or something in order to mass produce? I don’t know. What I do know is that this stuff is liquid gold and I’m now adding cheese sauce to everything. On one of my tests making this cheese I actually added a whole sliced jalapeno (rather than just a few slices) just to see what would happen. It was delicious! Feel free to play with the spice level. As written, the recipe is quite mild. I actually tried my hand at making homemade Taco Bell Crunchwraps a few weeks ago, and added a whole-jalapeno version of this cheese sauce as one of the layers. It was so amazing. (Tell me in the comments if you want my Crunchwrap recipe!) This is the only hard part. Wait 30 minutes for the cream to steep. The cream will absorb all that flavor! Have a taste! It’s delicious. Then strain out all the solids and add the cream back into your saucepan. It’s retained all the flavor but is going to be perfectly smooth. Shred up your cheddar cheese, and chop your American cheese into chunks. Heat up the cream again. Do you see how the cream is nice and frothy? Don’t let it come to a boil, but it should have bubbles on the edge. I don’t recommend replacing the American Cheese. It is one of the only kinds of cheese that will get you that soft, smooth texture and never go grainy on you. Read more about why I stand by American Cheese in this excellent Serious Eats article, What is American cheese anyway? If you like you can try out this recipe using another type of cheese in place of cheddar. Mozzarella, Pepper Jack, Fontina, or Oaxaca cheese come to mind. P.S. I took 483 photos of this cheese sauce. No joke. I usually take at least a couple hundred photos when I’m doing a food photoshoot, but 483 is a little excessive, even for me. This cheese is just gorgeous, I couldn’t stop myself. (Okay, that’s a lie. The real story is that this cheese sauce gets a film on top almost immediately if it’s not being stirred, which makes it a nightmare for getting shots that look smooth and creamy. Even though the sauce really IS ridiculously smooth and creamy.)
Make it spicy! Slice up that whole jalapeno. Add two if you like, or even three! Add dried spices. You could take this in a Mexican direction and add chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Add 2-3 cloves freshly chopped garlic to the onions and jalapenos. Is garlic ever a bad idea? No. Add a can of beans and drained tomatoes. Turn this into a more substantial dip, kind of like this Chili’s Queso recipe!
French Fries Dip your roasted potatoes in it, or drizzle on top dip for tortilla chips (or any kind of chip or cracker) drizzle on broccoli or cauliflower dip roasted asparagus in it Stir it into cooked pasta for instant mac and cheese make the best nachos of your life Slather it on a burger (life-changing! I always spread the leftover cheese sauce from my fries directly on my Shake Shack burger. So good.) Top a hot dog. You know you want that. Drizzle on scrambled eggs or a fried egg. Use it to top eggs benedict instead of hollandaise sauce. What!! Stir it into mashed potatoes Stir it into homemade chili!! This would be so amazing. dip tater tots (really any potato situation is a winner) Top a baked potato!! Sorry about all the exclamation points, every new idea I think of sounds so amazing to me! Dip soft pretzels into cheese sauce. Or these Homemade Pretzel Dogs! Add it as a layer on a homemade Crunchwrap Supreme like from Taco Bell! Should I post my Crunchwrap recipe for you guys? Add it to a roast beef sandwich. Can you imagine French Dip Sandwiches with this sauce incorporated??
The other option is to transfer the sauce to a mini crock pot and set it to the “keep warm” setting. This would be a great idea for parties that are going to last a while. Don’t forget to come back and stir occasionally, whether it’s on the stove or in the slow cooker. Here is my porch set up after an hour and a half of screaming at cheese and fries. My neighbors probably think I’m insane. You can see all the discarded fries and chips that I dipped in sauce for a photo and then set aside. Because while yes, I can hold my own when it comes to carb-loading, I can’t ACTUALLY eat 3 large orders of Shake Shack french fries on my own. Dip, take photo, set aside off camera. Times 483. Sometimes being a food blogger is a weird job, you guys. Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
