The Unexpected Sauce That'll Bring New Life To Boring Old French Fries

If you're munching on french fries, chances are there's a bottle of ketchup nearby. French fries and ketchup are a classic duo for many. For those with an aversion to the pairing, mayo, ranch, and barbecue may be the go-to condiment.

Whether you are devoted to the classics or like to dip your fries in uncommon sauces occasionally, peanut butter should be on your radar the next time you get a side of fries. That's right, fries and peanut butter may sound like an unlikely pairing, but it's an accustomed dish in the Netherlands.

The peanut sauce, otherwise known as satésaus, is comprised of specific ingredients. One of these is pindakaas or pindasaus, a type of Dutch peanut butter that translates to "peanut cheese" in English. Other ingredients in this dipping sauce include sambal (an Indonesian chili paste) coconut milk, and lemongrass, among other ingredients. Next time you bake yourself a tray of fries or grab them from the drive-thru, make sure to whip up this savory sauce.

The Dutch may be credited for making french fries and peanut butter a combo, but the sauce stems from Indonesia. For over a century, Indonesia was under Dutch colonial rule. As a result, it birthed a fusion of Indonesian and Dutch cuisines. One of Indonesia's prominent cuisine fixtures is satay, grilled meat, usually chicken or pork.

Peanut satay sauce is a sauce that is usually paired with these meats. The star of Indonesian peanut sauce is ground peanuts or peanut butter alongside coconut milk, tamarind, and various spices. Today, the sauce is an integral part of Dutch cuisine and is used as a condiment not only for fries but for barbecue as well. If fries are not enough, try drizzling the peanut sauce over some grilled chicken or shrimp. Or try satékroket, a deep-fried roll made with meat and peanut sauce that is popular in the Netherlands.

Does dipping french fries in peanut sauce sound a bit too boring? Don't worry because there is a Dutch dish that elevates the combination of peanut butter and french fries. Enter war fries — known as patat oorlog. The Dutch delicacy is a heaping dish of french fries, peanut sauce, mayo, and onions.

Patat oorlog is a popular street food that may be messy for some but, nonetheless, packed with great flavors. It's unclear why the dish is called war fries, but it might be due to the chaos of ingredients. In addition to the sauce, french fries in the Netherlands are also noticeably different. Dutch-style fries are often double-cooked and thick-cut. If you don't have Dutch-style fries, that shouldn't stop you from trying peanut sauce as a condiment. And there's practically nothing stopping you from adding both fries and meat to the sauce.