Horseshoe
intro
Iconic hearty Midwestern comfort food from Springfield, Illinois: stacked toast, juicy beef patties, crispy fries, and velvety cheddar cheese sauce, served piping hot.
Ingredients
Steps
Cook crispy French fries
Heat 1 liter vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed deep pot or countertop deep fryer to 175°C (350°F). Pat cut russet potato strips completely dry with paper towels to remove excess starch, then fry in 3 small batches for 4-5 minutes per batch until golden brown and crisp. Remove fries with a slotted metal spoon, drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Hold cooked fries in a 95°C (200°F) oven to stay warm while you prepare the remaining components.
Cook seasoned beef patties
Divide 680 grams of 80/20 ground beef into 4 equal 170g portions, gently shaping each into a 1cm-thick patty slightly wider than your bread slices (patties will shrink 10-15% as they cook). Season both sides of each patty with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, then cook patties for 3 minutes per side for medium doneness, or 4 minutes per side for well-done. Transfer cooked patties to a clean plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and rest for 3 minutes to retain juices.
Toast bread slices
Reduce the skillet heat to medium, add 1 tablespoon (14g) of unsalted butter, and swirl to coat the pan once the foaming subsides. Add bread slices in batches, toasting for 1.5 minutes per side until golden and crisp at the edges, adding the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter as needed for subsequent batches. Set toasted slices aside on a clean plate.
Make cheddar cheese sauce
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons (28g) of unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder, cooking the light golden roux for 2 full minutes while stirring constantly to eliminate raw flour taste. Slowly stream in 360ml whole milk while whisking continuously to prevent lumps, then bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from direct heat, stir in 340g freshly shredded sharp cheddar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper, stirring until the cheese melts completely into a smooth, glossy sauce.
Arrange dish bases
Set out 4 warm dinner plates, placing 2 slices of toasted bread side-by-side on each plate to form the wide, curved horseshoe shape that gives the dish its name. Center one rested beef patty across the seam where the two toast slices meet, pressing down very gently to anchor the patty to the toast.
Top and serve immediately
Pile ¼ of the warm crispy fries in a generous, even mound over each beef patty, covering the patty and most of the toast surface. Pour 120ml (½ cup) of the warm cheddar cheese sauce evenly over each pile of fries, letting the sauce drip down the sides of the stack to coat the fries and toast edges. Serve right away while the cheese is hot and the fries are crisp, with a fork and knife for eating.
Tips
2.Shred cheddar cheese fresh from a block instead of using pre-shredded store-bought cheese; pre-shredded cheese is coated in potato starch or anti-caking agents that will make your cheese sauce grainy and less smooth.
3.Do not add cheese to the sauce while the pan is still over direct heat: high heat can cause cheese to separate and turn greasy, so remove the pan from the burner first and let residual heat melt the cheese for a velvety texture.
OMG, I grew up in Springfield and have been chasing a good horseshoe recipe since I moved to Chicago 10 years ago! This is EXACTLY what I remember—creamy cheese sauce, crispy fries, perfect toast base. Made it for Sunday family dinner and my husband and two kids loved it, they all went back for seconds. Game changer, will be making this for our next game night potluck for sure.
Took me a little longer than 40 minutes because I messed up the cheese sauce the first time (pro tip: don’t crank the heat too high or it gets grainy!) but once I got it right? SO good. Prepped the components ahead for weeknight dinners and it held up way better than I thought it would. My teen said it’s better than the pub version we get downtown.
Super easy to swap in gluten-free bread and GF frozen fries to make this work for my dietary needs! The cheese sauce is naturally GF if you use a GF flour roux, which I appreciated. Only note is I added a little extra smoked paprika for a kick, which paired perfectly.
Brought this to my neighborhood block party potluck last weekend and people were literally asking for the recipe before they even finished their plates! I used crinkle cut fries like the diner back home does and added a sprinkle of crispy bacon bits on top for extra flair. 10/10, will be entering this in our town’s annual sandwich cookoff next month.
Made this in my dorm kitchen with a little hot plate and air fryer for the fries and it slapped! Used a cheap lager from the corner store for the cheese sauce and it tasted exactly like the fancy bar version my roommate and I split on his birthday. Way cheaper than ordering takeout too, will be making this every other week for sure.
I worked at a little diner outside Springfield back in the 80s and I have to say, this recipe is dead on. Most modern recipes skimp on the dry mustard in the cheese sauce, but you guys nailed the ratio. I added a thin slice of smoked ham under the chicken like we used to do at the diner and it took me right back. Great work on a classic.
I was so skeptical about a cheese sauce topping fries, toast, and hamburger patties, but my boyfriend begged me to make this after he saw a TikTok about classic Springfield food. Let me tell you—my mind is blown! The savory, tangy cheese sauce pairs so perfectly with crispy fries and buttery toast, it should not work as well as it does. We swapped the traditional ham for seasoned turkey burgers and it was still SO good. Only reason it’s not a 5 is because it was a little rich for me to finish a whole serving, but we’ll definitely make half-portions next time!