TikTok Can't Stop Craving These Simple Potato Cheese Sticks

There's a specific kind of joy in watching someone prepare a hearty meal with minimal ingredients in a minute or less, and TikTok is a goldmine for those. There are plenty of TikTok recipes that can have you reaching for your apron and spatula, but some stand out for reasons that we can't really put a finger on. Case in point: this viral potato cheese stick recipe. 

Maybe it's the simplicity of the process and ingredients, but content creator Patrick Zeinali clearly did something right. His potato cheese stick recipe uses four simple ingredients — potatoes, cornstarch, mozzarella, and salt — to make a savory snack that is crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside. As evidenced by over four million views on the video, TikTokers are going gaga over the cheese sticks that are essentially fries but with cheese mashed in. As Zeinali demonstrates in the video, you can cook up the snack in just three simple steps. 

Creator Patrick Zeinali starts by peeling two russet potatoes and roughly chopping them before boiling them to perfection. The second step is to mash the potatoes and hand mix half a cup of cornstarch, a cup of mozzarella cheese, and some salt in it. Zeinali then places the mixture in a zip-lock bag and flattens it out using a rolling pin. The mixture then sits in the freezer for about 30 minutes before being cut and fried until golden brown.

Several TikTokers tried the recipe and were thoroughly impressed. One TikToker wrote, "Man, I tried these out and they are so hella good!! Totally worth trying!" Another user exclaimed, "I made these and they were the BOMB!!!!"

Not everyone had the same results, though. A user shared that they had a serious mishap in the kitchen while testing out the recipe and wrote, "I tried making these tonight. They exploded in the oil and not only did I get burned by hot oil but pieces of potato were stuck to the ceiling." Someone else called them "glorified, multistep French fries" and claimed they couldn't taste the cheese at all.

Need a cheese-free baked alternative? Here's another viral crispy giant French fries recipe you can try.