Alexia Fries and The Battle of The Fry Sauces.

What? You haven't heard of fry sauce?

Well neither had I when I hauled my college aged self across the country from Pennsylvania to Idaho 20 years ago.

I discovered that every fast food restaurant -- every one -- had fry sauce available for their patrons. An orange dipping sauce that I thought was weird. But then I am not really a mayo fan.

Legend has it that Fry sauce, which happens to be a blend of mayo and catsup flavors, was first commercialized by Some Dude.  Arctic Circle claims to have invented it in 1948.  They do claim to have the original fry sauce on all their little fry sauce packets.

So, maybe the fry sauce craze has spread beyond the Western United States. You tell me. But here in Utah it is still going strong. Every one has their own version and now you can even buy it by the bottle from Arctic Circle at their burger joint and from the grocery stores from brands like Famous Daves. (see you may be able to find it in your grocery aisle next to the catsup even if you live in PA.)

So, when I was offered a chance to sample Alexia products through my foodbuzz publisher affiliation I thought what better way to sample some Alexia Seasoned Waffle Fries than with a fry sauce showdown with my family. After all, my children are Utah natives they have a pretty good handle on the fry sauce culture.

First, I just have to say this. Sometimes my extremely clever 13 year old boy can revert to sheer naivete. He took one look at the waffle fries and said. "Did you make these in the waffle maker or something." So funny. As if waffle fries are easy to make, that is why I love to buy them at the fast food joint or try fozen versions like Alexia for my homemade hamburger nights.

First: our review of the waffle fries. Obviously my kids liked them. I thought they crisped up beautifully, although I was expecting them to have a little more spice kick. The spices were relatively mild. Which is probably why the kids loved them.

One of their biggest benefits in my book is their ingredient list: All natural ingredients win no trans fat.

Next benefit: perfect for dipping into fry sauce. All those little indentations perfect for holding this pink sauce.

We tried 3 fry sauces.

The original from Arctic Circle

                                 
 Famous Dave's Fry Sauce
                                   

Some Dude's

We tallied our really scientific results and this is what we decided.
Arctic Circle got 3 out of 5 votes for the best and the other two voters said they were all equal.
I personally liked Arctic Circle the best. It's got a zing. I am sorry those of you who don't have Arctic Circle near you. You will have to settle.

I did like Famous Dave's second best. It had more catsup flavor than mayo. My son's second choice was some Dude's and it leaned towards more mayo flavor. So, I guess the question is, do you prefer mayo or catsup better?

If all else fails do what my kids do sometimes. Make your own by mixing mayo and catsup together in a bowl. Experiment. Find your fry sauce nirvana.