Upgrade Your Taco Bell Nacho Fries With One Free Addition

Although I'm more of a slow food kind of guy, Taco Bell is my fast-food go-to. Perhaps it's an emotional holdover from those halcyon college years subsisting on $0.89 Bean Burritos out of budgetary necessity, or maybe it's just whatever addictive ambrosia they lace Baja Blasts with. 

Regardless, I've never been content to order straight off the drive-thru menu; I always zhuzh it up–historically as cheaply (or freely) as possible. Custom orders at Taco Bell are by no means a novel phenomenon, but few menu items lend themselves to tasty tampering as well as the now-legendary Nacho Fries. The most primordial pairing of nachos is with melted cheese, while fries and ketchup go together like ... well, fries and ketchup. Though Taco Bell's hybrid Nacho Fries bring the nacho cheese as they should, that all-American tomatoey tang is definitely missing. Fortunately, the solution lies within those packets of spicy(ish) sauce. The recipe to upgrade your Nacho Fries is simple: add two to three packets of Fire Sauce directly into your nacho cheese cup, stir, and enjoy. 

It works so well because the slightly sweet acidity of the sauce's tomato base cuts through the richness of the nacho cheese. While you could use Mild or Hot, you lose out on some complexity afforded by the increased levels of jalapeño in Fire. Diablo isn't a bad choice, but it mostly just dials up the heat and tang while somewhat obscuring the more subtle cumin and paprika notes. Whatever you choose, this hack increases the overall volume of your dip, enabling you to load up each nacho-fry with more goodness than is possible with the standard issue.

Despite the opinions of my colleagues, both fries and nachos are best loaded — both essentially vehicles of salty fried carbs that beg for elaboration. However, it's important to remember that your Nacho Fries have limited surface area compared to tortilla chips. Thus, ingredients like black beans and shredded lettuce may be somewhat unruly as gravity conspires against you to leave saucy stains on the car seat upholstery. Moreover, remember that Nacho Fries aren't overly crispy and are already saturated with your cheesy Fire Sauce mixture, so avoid adding too many more wet ingredients like refried beans or pico de gallo to prevent a starchy mess.

Taco Bell has a range of add-ons that complement the flavor and form of Nacho Fries. Jalapeños, for example, further elevate the secret spice of Fire Sauce while easily adhering to the cheesy surface of each individual nacho-fry. 

Onions are another good bet flavor and cost-wise, but typically beg the use of a fork and strategically placed napkin. Ground beef offers a decadent dose of umami while remaining easily manageable, though you will absolutely be charged for the addition. Adventurous eaters can sub out the Fire Sauce itself with any of the Bell's more premium sauce packs, such as guacamole or sour cream–both of which mix surprisingly well directly into the nacho cheese.