Spicy Coffee Spice Rub Fries!
A super tasty secret special at the Roadhouse
What started many years ago as a spice recipe for a turkey rub—at the request of my friend Francine Maroukian, the two-time James Beard Award–winning, Philadelphia-based journalist, for an Esquire article she was writing about different ways to liven up one’s Thanksgiving turkey—has, over the last two decades or so, quietly turned into a wonderful way for Roadhouse regulars to spice up anything from fish to chicken breast and steak. It remains, though, a bit of a well-kept secret. While Spicy Coffee Spice Rub is mentioned in tiny letters on the menu, the odds of finding it on your first few visits are relatively small—it’s a big menu, and most guests aren’t coming in to seek it out.
The other day, for the first time in a long time, I had some of the Spicy Coffee Spice Rub on Roadhouse fries—and man, was it good! There’s something about the blend and the way it reacts when tossed with just-fried French fries.
What is Spicy Coffee Spice Rub? An unlikely but uncommonly delicious blend of finely ground Roadhouse Joe coffee, Urfa red pepper from Turkey, kosher salt, Tellicherry black pepper from India, and ground cloves, it’s really unlike any other spice blend I’ve experienced.
The rub is, as per Francine’s article in Esquire, great on a turkey. But that said, don’t dismiss this as a turkey-only item, because it’s actually pretty terrific with all sorts of other foods. Over the years, it’s been on several Roadhouse specials lists, on the likes of roast chicken and roast pork or ribs. The cloves-and-coffee flavor is also very, very good with roasted buttered squash. Francine Maroukian swears by using it on pot roast, and it’s excellent on the eggplants that are currently out in the market in profusion. I’m wondering how it would be on eggs prepared in a variety of ways, and I know from experience that it’s super tasty on the new potatoes that are available in the market right now.
At the Roadhouse, the Spicy Coffee Spice Rub fries just went on the specials list this week! (Even if they’re not on the specials list, we can still happily make them on request.) As you’d imagine after everything I’ve written here, they’re fantastic. The fried potato makes the perfect foil for the spices, and when tossed while the fries are hot, it’s a pretty magical combination. The potato seems to just naturally absorb, highlight, and accent the sensuous spiciness of the rub. Somewhere in culinary heaven, the food gods are enjoying this dish—it has one of those finishes that’s so great I don’t want to eat anything else afterward.
Swing by and order some next time you’re in. Or come during Happy Hour and enjoy ’em with sparkling wine and a dozen $2 oysters!
