Built for Flavor

At Mad Hopper, we don't just make hot sauce, we build flavor. Every bottle is crafted to elevate everyday meals and inspire new ideas in the kitchen. This featured recipe highlights one way to turn our sauces into something unexpected. Check back regularly as we rotate new recipes and flavor applications from the lab.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6–8 servings

Crispy Potato Coils with Sour Circuit Fry Sauce

Crispy, golden potato coils meet a creamy dipping sauce with some serious personality. Thin strands of russet potato are twisted into bite-sized bundles and fried until crunchy on the outside and tender inside.

The real experiment happens in the dipping sauce. Sour Circuit Hot Sauce brings yellow habanero heat, savory gochujang, tangy tamarind, honey, and Anchovy hops into a creamy fry sauce that's sweet, tangy, savory, and just hot enough to keep you coming back for another dip.

Ingredients

For the Crispy Potato Coils

• 2 large russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• Neutral frying oil, such as canola or vegetable oil
• Additional kosher salt for finishing

For the Sour Circuit Fry Sauce

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons Mad Hopper Sour Circuit Hot Sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• Pinch of kosher salt

Want more heat? Increase the Sour Circuit to ¼ cup for a bolder habanero kick.

Instructions

1. Spiralize the Potatoes

Wash and peel the russet potatoes. Using a spiralizer with a thin-cut blade, turn the potatoes into long, thin strands.

Place the spiralized potatoes in a bowl of cold water and gently move them around to remove excess surface starch. Drain well and spread the potatoes onto clean kitchen towels or paper towels.

Pat them completely dry. Removing as much moisture as possible is important for getting the potatoes crispy and preventing the oil from splattering.

2. Season and Shape

Place the dry potato strands in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the cornstarch, kosher salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Toss gently until evenly coated.

Gather a small handful of potato strands and wind them around two fingers to create a compact coil or nest. Gently tuck any loose ends into the bundle.

Don't make the coils too large or pack them too tightly. The hot oil needs to reach the center so everything gets crispy.

3. Make the Sour Circuit Fry Sauce

Combine the mayonnaise, Sour Circuit Hot Sauce, honey, lime juice, smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.

Whisk until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

4. Fry Until Crispy

Heat 2–3 inches of neutral oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to 350°F.

Carefully lower a few potato coils into the oil without overcrowding the pot.

Fry for approximately 3–5 minutes, gently turning as needed, until deeply golden and crisp.

Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined tray and immediately season with a light sprinkle of kosher salt. Allow the oil to return to 350°F before frying the next batch.

5. Dip and Destroy

Pile the hot crispy potato coils onto a serving platter and put the chilled Sour Circuit Fry Sauce right in the middle.

Serve immediately while the potatoes are hot and crunchy.

Why It Works

Potatoes and hot sauce are already a natural combination, but Sour Circuit takes this beyond a standard spicy fry sauce.

Habaneros bring clean, lingering heat while gochujang adds savory depth. Tamarind contributes a tart edge, honey rounds everything out, and Anchovy hops add another layer of complexity.

Blending Sour Circuit with creamy mayo softens the heat without hiding those flavors. A little honey reinforces the sweet side of the sauce, while fresh lime keeps the dip bright enough to cut through the richness of the fried potatoes.

The result is crispy + creamy, salty + sweet, tangy + hot.

That's the kind of experiment we like.

Make It Your Own

These crispy potato coils are perfect for game day, backyard cookouts, parties, or as a side when ordinary fries just aren't going to cut it.

The Sour Circuit Fry Sauce doesn't have to stop with potatoes, either. Try it with French fries, onion rings, fried chicken, chicken tenders, fried shrimp, burgers, sandwiches, or roasted potatoes.

And if 3 tablespoons of Sour Circuit isn't enough?

Turn up the experiment. Add another splash.

Featured Sauce: Sour Circuit

Habanero • Gochujang • Tamarind • Anchovy Hops

Savory, tangy, slightly sweet, and backed by lingering habanero heat, Sour Circuit was built for more than adding heat to food.

It was built for flavor.