Had a rough day? Then put your feet up and let us tell you about these loaded potato wedges – a guaranteed mood lifter after a long, hard week!
This is some serious indulgence. Thick-cut, skin-on homemade wedges, perfectly cooked and piled high with generous lashings of grated cheddar cheese, crispy fried chorizo pieces, tantalising swirls of crunchy onions, all crowned with a beautiful lime-tinged avocado and coriander sauce.
Options abound – pressed for time? No worries, grab some store-bought potato wedges or chips from the freezer. They’ll do the trick just fine.
Swap the avo sauce for something quick, like sour cream or your favourite bottled sauce.
And for those seriously pressed for time, the crispy fried onions are optional (though, if time permits, they’re a delicious addition to these wedges and so quick to make!).
The rule is simple: Load these wedges with anything and everything, as long as there’s gooey, melted cheese involved!
What’s to love about this recipe
- Turn your Friday night into a feel-good feast. These cheesy potato wedges are the ultimate comfort food.
- Make it simpler with store-bought options like frozen potato wedges or chips.
- Personalise the toppings to your favourites or simply use up whatever you have in the fridge.
- Ideal as a Game Day appetizer, a BBQ or pizza side, a movie night snack or a standalone main meal. Family-friendly and especially popular with kids.
Key ingredient notes and substitutions
**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients.
Potatoes
The ideal potato for wedges has a high starch content with a dry, floury texture, which helps it achieve a crispy and golden exterior while maintaining that sought-after light and fluffy texture inside when baked.
Here are some excellent potato options to consider for your wedges:
- Maris Piper potatoes – United Kingdom
- King Edward potatoes – United Kingdom
- Russet potatoes – United States and Canada
- Yukon Gold potatoes – United States and Canada
- Desiree potatoes – Australia
- Dutch Cream potatoes – Australia
- Caren potatoes – South Africa
- Darius potatoes – South Africa
For tips on cutting potatoes into wedges, check out the details further down this post.
Chorizo
Be sure to get a ring of chorizo rather than thinly sliced chorizo meant for sandwiches.
We’ll dice the ring into pound coin-shaped discs, approximately 5mm (0.2″) thick and then cut those coins into quarters.
You can swap the chorizo for bacon lardons, bacon strips, cubed pancetta, Andouille sausage, Kielbasa or any type of flavourful meat.
Cheese
Opt for a robust, flavorful cheese like Cheddar. Or, use your favourite, as long as it brings a punchy flavour and excellent melt factor for those irresistible oozy, pulled cheese strings.
Steer clear of pre-grated cheese. It often contains additives like cornflour that hinder proper melting. The best cheese for the ultimate melt is freshly grated.
Garlic paste
We opt for garlic paste from a tube/jar for its seamless blend into the oil mixture used to coat the wedges. Fresh, chopped garlic pieces may fall off or burn in the oven.
Alternatively, finely mince fresh garlic (with a garlic press) for a similar effect or use two teaspoons of garlic powder.
How to cut potato wedges
- Aim to pick potatoes of roughly similar size.
- Position the potato on its side and with a large, sharp knife, cut through the centre lengthwise.
- Turn the potato half with the cut side DOWN and slice it in half lengthwise again.
- Turn the potato quarter with the cut side UP and slice it in half lengthwise (placing your knife on the sharp edge facing up and cutting down).
- Repeat the process for all the potatoes until you have wedges of roughly equal size.
Recipe instructions: Step-by-step
Make the avocado sauce
- Peel, pit and slice the avocado and add it to a food processor, followed by the mayonnaise, handful of fresh coriander, juice from half a lime, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Whizz the sauce ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Check for seasoning and transfer to a small bowl. Set aside in the fridge until needed.
Making the wedges
- Slice the unpeeled potatoes into wedges and place them in a large saucepan. Pour enough cold water into the saucepan to fully cover the potatoes and add the tablespoon of salt.
See how to cut potato wedges.
- Bring the potatoes to a rapid boil and cook for only 1-2 minutes at a full boil. Drain thoroughly and let them steam dry for 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Meanwhile, slice the chorizo sausage into coins and cut the coins into halves or quarters.
- Heat half of the oil (1 tbsp) in a saucepan and fry the chorizo cubes until they start to crisp up and release their fiery colour into the oil. Remove the fried chorizo cubes from the pan, leaving the oil behind.
- Pour the chorizo oil from the pan into a small bowl or jug. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, along with the smoked paprika, black pepper and garlic paste. Give it a quick stir.
- Pour the oil mixture over the potato wedges in the saucepan (or transfer them to a large bowl). Use your hands to coat the wedges in the oil until every piece is covered.
- Arrange the wedges on the lined baking tray in a single layer without any overlap. Use two baking trays if needed.
- Bake the wedges in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then turn them around and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until the edges start to crisp up and the centres are cooked.
Making the crispy fried onions (optional)
- While the wedges are in the oven, thinly slice the onion. Transfer the slices to a bowl and sprinkle over the cornflour.
- Use your hands to separate the onion slices and coat them in the cornflour.
- Fill a saucepan with about 2cm/0.8″ of cooking oil and heat it over medium-high heat until a small piece of onion starts to sizzle as soon as it’s dropped into the oil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add a handful of sliced onions to the oil. Deep-fry the onions until they are golden brown and crispy, then remove them to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the oil.
Repeat with the remaining sliced onions. Keep a close eye on the heat and the colour of the onions as they can burn easily.
Assembling the loaded wedges
- Once the wedges are cooked, arrange them neatly in lines on the baking tray, following any pattern you prefer, as long as they are spaced close together. Sprinkle with extra salt if you wish (coarse sea salt recommended).
- Sprinkle the grated cheese liberally over the crispy potato wedges. Optionally, add a sprinkle of dried oregano on top of the cheese.
- Next, scatter the pieces of chorizo evenly over the cheese.
- Place the baking tray back in the oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese has melted with a few spots of caramelisation.
- Sprinkle over the crispy fried onions and chopped chives and liberally drizzle over the avocado sauce. Serve hot with a few wedges of lime.
Using store-bought wedges
- Defrost the wedges or chips if they are frozen and follow the instructions above from step 5 onwards. Don’t forget to make the avocado sauce in steps 1-2.
- Only cook the wedges for as long as the cooking instructions on the packet suggest (this excludes the 5 minutes it will take to melt the cheese towards the end).
Variations
- Add sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers or cherry tomatoes for a colourful and veggie-loaded version.
- Spice it up with jalapeños or a drizzle of hot sauce.
- Top with crumbled feta cheese, olives and a dollop of tzatziki for a Mediterranean-inspired flavour.
- Use crispy bacon bits or bacon crumbles instead of chorizo. (Cook your bacon under the grill until very crispy and simply crumble it over the wedges.)
- Incorporate black beans, corn and a sprinkle of taco seasoning.
- Swap regular potatoes for sweet potatoes.
- Top with spicy ground beef chilli.
- Swap the chives for spring onions/green onions.
- Instead of avocado sauce, load up with guacamole, sour cream, sweet chilli sauce, ranch dressing or plain mayonnaise.
Serving suggestions
- Serve as an appetiser with an array of dipping sauces such as sour cream, barbecue sauce, chimichurri sauce, romesco dip or spicy mayo.
- Pair with a simple side salad like Taboule or this hearty Nectarine salad.
- Add a protein element like Chinese chicken skewers, Greek roast chicken, steak strips or shrimp.
- Serve with a crunchy coleslaw.
- Pair with a side of steamed or roasted vegetables, like tenderstem broccoli with parmesan and pinenuts.
- Serve for brunch alongside poached eggs.
- Drizzle over garlic-infused olive oil and a grating of parmesan cheese.
Storage and reheating
These loaded wedges are at their best when enjoyed immediately, offering the finest taste and crunch.
Any remaining wedges can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
When reheating, use the oven set at 180C/350F until heated through. For the best result, reheat without adding fresh toppings like chives and avocado sauce.
Loaded Wedges with Chorizo and Avocado sauce
This is some serious indulgence. Thick-cut, skin-on homemade wedges, perfectly cooked and piled high with generous amounts of grated cheese, crispy fried chorizo pieces, tantalising swirls of crunchy onions, all crowned with a beautiful lime-tinged avocado and coriander sauce.
Ingredients
For the avocado sauce
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, heaped for a very large avo, add 3 tbsps
- handful of coriander (cilantro)
- ½ lime, juice of
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
For the potatoes
- 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) potatoes a floury variety like Maris Piper, Yukon Gold
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 150 grams (5 oz) chorizo sausage
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic paste or finely minced garlic
- 150 grams (5 oz) strong cheese, grated like cheddar
- dried oregano (optional)
- chives, finely chopped
For the crispy onions (optional)
- 1 medium onion
- 2 teaspoons cornflour
- oil for frying enough to fill a medium saucepan 2cm (0.8") deep
Instructions
Making the avocado sauce
- Peel, pit and slice the avocado and add it to a food processor, followed by the mayonnaise, handful of fresh coriander, juice from half a lime, sugar, salt and pepper.1 large ripe avocado, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, heaped, handful of coriander (cilantro), ½ lime, juice of, 1 teaspoon sugar (optional), ¼ teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste
- Whizz the sauce ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Check for seasoning and transfer to a small bowl. Set aside in the fridge until needed.
Making the wedges
- Slice the unpeeled potatoes into wedges and place them in a large saucepan. Pour enough cold water into the saucepan to fully cover the potatoes and add the tablespoon of salt.See how to cut potato wedges.1 kilogram (2.2 lb) potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt
- Bring the potatoes to a rapid boil and cook for only 1-2 minutes at a full boil. Drain thoroughly and let them steam dry for 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Meanwhile, slice the chorizo sausage into coins and cut the coins into halves or quarters.150 grams (5 oz) chorizo sausage
- Heat half of the oil (1 tbsp) in a saucepan and fry the chorizo cubes until they start to crisp up and release their fiery colour into the oil. Remove the fried chorizo cubes from the pan, leaving the oil behind.
- Pour the chorizo oil from the pan into a small bowl or jug. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, along with the smoked paprika, black pepper and garlic paste. Give it a quick stir.½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons garlic paste
- Pour the oil mixture over the potato wedges in the saucepan (or transfer them to a bowl). Use your hands to coat the wedges in the oil until every piece is covered.
- Arrange the wedges on the lined baking tray in a single layer without any overlap. Use two baking trays if needed.
- Bake the wedges in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then turn them around and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until the edges start to crisp up and the centres are cooked.
Making the crispy fried onions (optional)
- While the wedges are in the oven, thinly slice the onion. Transfer the slices to a bowl and sprinkle over the cornflour.1 medium onion, 2 teaspoons cornflour
- Use your hands to separate the onion slices and coat them in the cornflour.
- Fill a saucepan with about 2cm/0.8" of cooking oil and heat it over medium-high heat until a small piece of onion starts to sizzle as soon as it's dropped into the oil.oil for frying
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add a handful of sliced onions to the oil. Deep-fry the onions until they are golden brown and crispy, then remove them to a paper-lined plate to soak up the oil. Repeat with the remaining sliced onions. Keep a close eye on the heat and the colour of the onions as they can burn easily.
Assembling the loaded wedges
- Once the wedges are cooked, arrange them neatly in lines on the baking tray, following any pattern you prefer, as long as they are spaced close together. Sprinkle with extra salt if you wish (coarse sea salt recommended).
- Sprinkle the grated cheese liberally over the wedges. Optionally, add a sprinkle of dried oregano on top of the cheese.150 grams (5 oz) strong cheese, grated, dried oregano (optional)
- Next, scatter the pieces of chorizo evenly over the cheese.
- Place the baking tray back in the oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese has melted with a few spots of caramelisation.
- Sprinkle over the crispy fried onions and chopped chives and liberally drizzle over the avocado sauce. Serve hot with a few wedges of lime.chives, finely chopped
Nutrition
Calories: 629kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 2228mg | Potassium: 1402mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 779IU | Vitamin C: 66mg | Calcium: 329mg | Iron: 3mg
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