Shake Shack Shared How to Make to Their Addictive Cheese Sauce

If there was one (broadly-defined) food capable of making life better even in its darkest moments, it would have to be cheese—preferably some kind of gooey, melty cheese. If that cheese is piled on top of some tasty french fries, well, even better.

Usually, most folks would outsource the production of melted cheese to a restaurant’s appetizer/side menu. But quarantine has made things a bit more challenging given that a melty cheese sauce doesn’t travel very well. Thankfully, Shake Shack is sharing the secret of its cheese sauce for people who are shacked up at home and looking for a new culinary project.

Posted on social media as an entry of the high-end burger chain’s “Shake Shack at Your Shack” quarantine cooking series, Shake Shack’s culinary director Mark Rosati walks fans through the process of prepping shake shack’s classic queso spread.

In terms of your shopping list, you’ll need cheddar and American cheese, jalapeño, onion, peppercorns, canola oil, white wine (plus white wine vinegar), and heavy cream. Essentially, making the cheese is a three-part process. First, cook the sliced onions and jalapenos down with the peppercorns until the onion softens. Next, add white wine vinegar and white wine. Once those reduce, add the cream and let the mixture steep for 30 minutes. Once the solids are strained out, get the cream close to a boil and whisk in the cheese until the solid chunks disappear.

If you want to get really fancy, Shake Shack’s video also notes that you can make this cheese sauce “disco style” (a sort of American variation on poutine) by adding gravy. Channeling Ina Garten, the video reassures us that store-bought gravy is just fine.

So if you’re lucky enough to find frozen fries amid the shortage, this cheese sauce is a surefire way to class them up. Or you could just order from Shake Shack. The choice is yours.