French Dip Sliders & Cajun French Fries

This recipe comes from Tay Brice on Tiktok, and the moment I saw it yesterday I knew it was going to be tonight's dinner. Seriously, it's pretty much all I've been thinking about today.

Allen requested Cajun French fries as a side, and that sounded pretty damn good so I decided to make those too. 

I started on the fries first, of course, since they need to soak in ice water. Just 2 russet potatoes peeled, sliced "julienne", and placed into a bowl to sit. As I'm writing this, I'm remembering that there's some sort of trick to this-- baking powder? cornstarch?-- but they're already cooking at the moment, so oh well. 

I'm not sure how long the fries soaked as I was on the phone with my mother, but there was definitely a good amount of starch left over once I rinsed them, so I'd call that a success. Then, I seasoned the dried potato slices with s&p, paprika, garlic powder, and some Slap Ya Mama, along with olive oil. I definitely used a heavy hand while seasoning until they had a nice color. I then air-fried them at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

For the sliders themselves, I buttered up a square baking dish then melted *approximately* a half a stick of butter with an au jus packet, a generous spoonful of jarlic, and a shake of sesame seeds. To assemble the sliders in the baking dish, I arranged the bottom halves then added provolone, roast beef, provolone, fried onions, and the top halves, respectively. Then I smoothed the au jus mixture over the top and placed them in a 350 degree oven covered for 30 minutes (at 20 minutes, I removed the aluminum foil and let it bake the remaining 10 minutes freely).

I'm a huge *dip* person, especially when it comes to potatoes, so I also whipped up a quick garlic aioli for the fries. This is a VERY bare-bones recipe: mayo, a bit of red wine vinegar, plenty of garlic salt, and black pepper. Try it- it's easy and delicious. 

Well, the fries were okay. I wanted them crispy (duh?) but ended up with burnt ends and less toasty centers. But honestly, all potatoes are good potatoes. 

Also, I went ahead and made the au jus sauce per the package directions just in case the sandwiches themselves were too dry. And honestly-- they were amazing. 10/10 would make again. However, I'll probably try to cook the roast beef separately for a bit next next time.