Pachos with Emerald Isle Dipping Sauce

Pachos are the ultimate indulgence for birthdays, game nights, backyard BBQs, and more. They are super satisfying crunchy lattice fries with the ultimate dip. Everyone will be asking you where to get the recipe! Promise, you'll get rave reviews for this one, no matter if you're serving kids or adults!

The secret's in the sauce, which you can make ahead of time. Just remember to squirrel some away for yourself for later! Pachos are an easy, crowd-pleasing plate that comes together in 3 steps and just 25 minutes.

What are pachos?

If potatoes and nachos came together and had a baby, its name would be pacho!

If you search for pachos on the internet, a wonderful restaurant called Kelly O'Bryan's will probably surface, and this is because pachos are one of their famous dishes.

Pachos are lattice or waffle fries topped with cheese and green onions and served with a side of this incredible sauce. The dipping sauce that is served with Pachos is officially called Emerald Isle Sauce, but everyone refers to it as Pacho Sauce. This Pacho Sauce Recipe comes from Mama Wheel and it was her mother who is the genius who created the recipe. So please stop by Mama Wheel and thank her mother for letting us all eat Pachos whenever we feel like it!

Ingredients needed

For the fries:

• Waffle or curly fries: These fries work best because they can carry toppings well. You can use gluten-free fries, if needed.
• Shredded cheddar cheese: Buying cheese pre-shredded will save you time but you can also grate it over the fries yourself. Cheddar adds a nice sharp taste, but other types of melty cheeses will work also.
• Green onions: Slice the green onions into rounds to add some freshness to the plate.

For the Emerald Isle Sauce/Pacho sauce:

• Miracle Whip: This forms the base of the dipping sauce, but note, DO NOT use Hellman's as it won't taste the same!
• Prepared yellow mustard: this adds a little tang to the sauce.
• White vinegar: Similar to the yellow mustard, vinegar adds some zing or acid to the sauce.
• Granulated sugar: You can use brown sugar instead, just know it will alter the color of the sauce.
• Spices: This sauce uses ground basil, ground tarragon, ground pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Fresh herbs are not ideal to include in the sauce, ground/dried are best. If your dried herbs aren't ground, simply put them into the palm of your hand and crush them with your fingers!

How to make pachos with Emerald Isle Sauce

Making pachos is as easy as 1-2-3!

• Start by putting your fries into the oven. Then, when they're nearly cooked, cover them in cheese.
• Make the pacho sauce by mixing together the ingredients – easy!
• Serve the cheesy fries topped with green onions and plenty of pacho sauce on the side.

The full recipe can be found in the recipe card below.

What to serve with pachos

While you could easily crush a plate of these on your own, if you're serving a crowd, pachos make for a killer addition to any spread. Here are some ideas of what you can serve with pachos:

1. Grilled corn salad with bbq sausage
2. Baked bbq chicken
3. Guacamole burger
4. Classic broccoli coleslaw

Recipe FAQ

More french fry recipes

• Cajun sweet potato fries with blue cheese yogurt
• Parmesan Shoestring fries with parmesan and rosemary
• Loaded food truck Mexican nacho fries
• Sweet Potato Harissa Fries

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4.86 stars (27 ratings)

Pachos with Emerald Isle Dipping Sauce Recipe

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

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Waffle fries covered in cheese with Emerald Isle Dipping Sauce (Pacho Sauce!) — can you name a better duo? Pachos will magically disappear before your eyes and you'll be left thinking about them for days. It's really all in the sauce, this is the best french fry dipping sauce ever!

4 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 package waffle or curly fries (gluten-free, if needed)
• ▢ 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢ 3 green onions (sliced into rounds)

Emerald Isle Sauce

• ▢ 1 ½ cups Miracle Whip (DO NOT use Hellman's as it won't taste the same)
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
• ▢ ¼ cup white vinegar
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground basil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground tarragon
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions 

• Cook the package of fries according to package directions. When the fries are finished cooking remove them from the oven and sprinkle them with cheddar cheese. Return them to the oven for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
  1 package waffle or curly fries, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  
• While the fries are cooking, prepare the sauce. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Mix until well combined. Store in a covered jar in the fridge until ready to use.
  1 ½ cups Miracle Whip, 1 ½ tablespoons prepared yellow mustard, ¼ cup white vinegar, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground basil, ½ teaspoon ground tarragon, ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
  
• To serve the pachos, pile the fries on a large plate layering them with green onions. Serve the Emerald Isle Sauce on the side.
  3 green onions
  

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 410kcal (21%), Carbohydrates: 60g (20%), Protein: 6g (12%), Fat: 17g (26%), Saturated Fat: 6g (38%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 23mg (8%), Sodium: 1292mg (56%), Potassium: 373mg (11%), Fiber: 5g (21%), Sugar: 35g (39%), Vitamin A: 303IU (6%), Vitamin C: 6mg (7%), Calcium: 127mg (13%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

For more inspiration, check out all of our sauce recipes!