How to re-create the infamous In-n-Out's Animal Style Fries!!!

In-n-Out is infamous for their delicious burgers, perfect fries, and creamy milkshakes. They are also widely known for their semi-"Secret Menu". While there are a few options on this "Secret Menu", majority just know about the one and only, "Animal Style". More commonly, the "Animal Style Fries". Now, there are quite a few others that stand next to the "Animal Style" burgers and fries, these are the ones you will see time and time again, being absolutely devoured on tables across the nation. They are cheesy sauced filled goodness that packs a flavor punch in so many ways, you'd have to try it to know what I mean. So when I saw a re-creation of this beloved side dish while scrolling through Facebook, I knew I was going to immediately try this. Who can pass up a possible homemade duplicate of their favorite french fries!

I can't take any credit for this wonderful creation. Cooking Panda on Facebook is where I watched the video and learned the recipe. If you'd like to see the video, click HERE. If you'd like to learn the recipe without watching a video (it does go kinda fast, so you may want to refer back here for the written version), feel free to keep reading! In case you're wondering, not only did I try this recipe with great success, but it was gone within in minutes. My son, uncle, and I feasted like kings I tell 'ya! Don't worry, I added pictures to provide a representation on how everything should be progressing. I would like to apologize though, as my photos are not the absolute greatest. I ended up finding this video in the evening and creating it around 7:30pm, so the lighting was stupendous. 

What you need:
1 Yellow Onion
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Cup Mayonnaise (REAL. Don't try pullin that Miracle Whip crap on this concoction. No offense)
2/3 Ketchup
3 Tbsp Pickle Relish
1 Tsp Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Bag of Frozen French Fries
1 Bag of American Shredded Cheese (you can always shred your own)

Directions:
1.Chop up the entire onion. They don't have to be extremely fine, but they do need to be small and about the same size all around, to help them all grill evenly. 
2. Add the olive oil and brown sugar to a skillet. Mix the two together on medium heat, just allowing the mixture to warm up. Pour the chopped onions into the skillet, turn up the heat to medium/high, and begin grilling them. You want to make sure the mixture gets all over the onions for a nice caramelized finish. (I ended up having to add a little bit more olive oil and brown sugar during this process, because my onion was huge. It still came out delicious.) Put your onions to the side. 
3. Once your onions are finish, combine the mayo, ketchup, pickle relish, sugar, salt, pepper, and apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Mix together well until you get an almost salmon colored sauce. Put to the side once finished. 
4. Grab your frozen french fries and lay them out on a cooking tray to be baked. (I'm warning you now, you are going to want to put foil down to avoid a mess. Trust me on this.) I used the entire bag and it was perfect. Bake using the normal directions provided on the fries bag. After they've reached their golden state, sprinkle some cheese all over those bad boys and broil for about 3 minutes. Make sure to check on them every minute! Some ovens work differently than others, causing the cheese to melt extremely quick. Mine were done in about 1minute 30 seconds. 
5. Once your fries are done being transformed into a pile of cheesy happiness, put the duo on a plate, add a few of your previously caramelized grilled onions on top, and pour that delectable sauce all over. All that's left to do now is dig in!.

I can not even begin to tell you how happy this recipe has made my inner childhood foodie self. My uncle rated it as a 10/10. Now when we go to Inn-n-Out, we actually plan on just making our own fries (it's cheaper to make a heaping pile of these, than to buy 3 orders), AND we can add our own "Animal Style" to our burgers. Needless to say, I truly think that this is a gift from the food gods and I thank Cooking Panda for granted all our wishes by allowing us to take part of such wonderful eats. Yes I'm a bit dramatic, but come on! It's Inn-n-Out people! Plus, if you've never had Inn-n-Out, you can simply make this to try the fries that's often raved about. Warning! You may become addicted. Just saying. 

Well there you have it you beautiful people! Let me know if you guys end up trying this and how it turns out for you! Show me on Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter! Have an awesome weekend guys and keep on rockin' life!