For Tasty Frozen Fries, Give Them The Breakfast Treatment

French fries are the perfect anytime snack. While they're usually enjoyed as a side with lunch or dinner, there's no reason you can't give them the breakfast treatment. After all, they aren't so different from breakfast potatoes or hashbrowns. Sure, you could take the time to soak potatoes for crispy homemade fries, but why not just save yourself the effort and use frozen? There's no shame in the freezer game; in fact, there's a scientific reason why chefs prefer frozen fries over fresh.

The idea here is the same as making loaded fries, only with flavors that are great for a morning meal, and a prep that's quick and easy. Save the deep fryer for after you've had coffee — to get these fries on the table and into your belly quickly, all you need to do is heat up your oven. An air fryer can make this even more convenient. And then the rest is up to you — add a fried egg, cheese, and your beans of choice, chop up some bacon or sausage — or think south of the border.

This dish is similar to nachos and gives your french fries a Mexican twist. For best results, heat up frozen french fries in the oven per package instructions, until they're just cooked and starting to turn golden. Then, take your pan out and top your taters with fajita or taco seasonings, shredded cheddar cheese, and your favorite salsa or enchilada sauce to revamp your eggs. Cook until the fries are crispy and the cheese is melted. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, guacamole, and eggs of choice, and sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Enjoy by the forkful or wrapped up in corn tortillas for the ultimate breakfast burrito.

This tasty breakfast concept can be as creative as you want. You can adopt a more traditional approach by cooking up your french fries with ham and cheese — or silver dollar pancakes, sweet and savory waffled sausage, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Try incorporating scrambled eggs in with fries, or you can also fold the cheesy and seasoned fries into an omelet.

For a next-level meeting between fries and eggs, Chilean chorrillana is the ultimate loaded fry upgrade. While this dish would normally be made with freshly fried potatoes and marinated meat, for a.m. hours, we're giving you permission to skip the hard work. The timesaving trick here is to use frozen french fries and leftover steak for this hearty egg breakfast. Top the fries with strips of the meat and pop your dish into the oven until the fries crisp. Meanwhile, fry a few eggs sunny side up and caramelize some onions. Bring it all together, optionally topped with melted cheese and hot sauce.

An even simpler approach is to skip the morning toast and top your frozen fries with canned baked beans. For that matter, there's no reason you can't have poutine for breakfast. The most difficult part of this process will be deciding which of the many different types of french fries to use. Thick and chunky fries will work best for holding up to heavier toppings, and waffle fries are particularly nice for scooping with. All things being equal, you could even go with frozen sweet potato fries or tater tots.