The Bold Regional McDonald's Fries That Disappeared Too Soon

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McDonald's fries have changed a lot since 1955. In addition to the chain substituting vegetable oil for beef tallow in the '90s, it has launched a number of limited-time varieties over the years, like cheesy bacon fries and, more recently, Dill Pickle "Grinch Salt" McShaker Fries. The most missed of them all, though, is arguably Gilroy garlic fries, which fans quickly devoured.

Gilroy garlic fries hit the fast food scene in 2016. McDonald's tested its garlicky side at four locations in the South Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, and stores sold out in about two weeks. The chain restocked and rolled out the fries at hundreds of McDonald's in the Greater Bay Area. They were seasoned with garlic purée, Parmesan cheese, salt, parsley, and olive oil. The garlic was sourced from Gilroy, California, near San Francisco, which is known as the "Garlic Capital of the World."

After a successful launch, the regional gem returned in 2017 with ample materials in anticipation of high sales. "We have worked closely with our garlic supplier, Christopher Ranch in Gilroy, to ensure we meet the demand from our customers across the Bay Area," Robin Doss, McDonald's former Northern California marketing director, said in a statement (via SFGate). Then, the heavily seasoned spuds disappeared again — for good.

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When Gilroy garlic fries launched, fans consumed "a week's worth of supplies" in a single day (via CBS News). The consensus from Buzzfeed reviewers ranged from "it's not overpoweringly garlicky," "it's actually super cheesy," and "they taste very fresh." In the summer of 2017, the fries returned to the Bay Area as a limited-time-only menu item, but it would be the last time McDonald's ran the regional promotion.

Among the numerous McDonald's french fry hacks out there is one for replicating Gilroy garlic fries. To pull it off, start with a copycat McDonald's fries recipe, which calls for frozen fries. Next, purée roasted or raw garlic and olive oil to create a wet mixture for the dry seasonings to stick to. Toss the fries in the purée, then combine Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, and salt in a bowl. Toss the fries in the dry seasoning, and you'll have an uncanny substitute for McDonald's Gilroy garlic fries. Alternatively, you can pulse the dry and wet ingredients together and toss the fries once.

For authenticity, spring for Gilroy-grown garlic. You can likely find cloves from Christopher Ranch, which grows the "single largest concentration of organic garlic on the North American continent," at supermarkets across the country. That's where McDonald's got its garlic for the limited-time menu item, so it's as close to the real thing as you can get.