Only in New Jersey could you find an outlandish culinary creation that satisfies fast-food and breakfast cravings at the same time.
It’s no secret that the Garden State holds pork roll (or Taylor ham) in high regard. And while French fries aren’t specific to New Jersey, we love those, too.
What about pork roll fries? That might sound like fries simply topped with our favorite breakfast meat.
But at Firkin Tavern in Ewing, pork roll fries take on a completely different meaning. The Mercer County bar slices pork roll into fry-like shapes and then deep-fries them.
As much as I love pork roll, my expectations for the dish were low. The meat is great with eggs or on a sandwich, I wasn’t sold on how it would hold up on its own. But one bite had me realizing I had underestimated just how delicious deep-fried pork roll could be.
The pork roll fries ($14.99), were each around three inches long and a half-inch wide. They had a crispy exterior while maintaining a soft, juicy interior.
Thankfully the interior of the meat wasn’t overcooked. The pungent, juicy inside of the fry made each bite a delicious balance of crispy and soft, similar to well-executed steak fries.
Firkin Tavern serves the fries with a sriracha cheese sauce, which complemented the strong pork flavor incredibly well. The spicy cheese dip wasn’t too thick and its creaminess cut into the salty bite of the pork roll, making it a bit softer and much more pleasant. A pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich with the these fries and the cheese sauce would be stellar.
Yes, this is a ridiculous amount of salt and fat I wouldn’t recommend making a diet staple. But I don’t know of any other spot serving pork roll fries like this. I truly hope Firkin Tavern isn’t the last eatery make them — the rest of the state needs to try these.
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Christopher Burch can be reached at cburch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SwishBurch. Find NJ.comon Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips/.