Bring a friend (or 10) for this plate of pork-covered fries

They’re the most porky, fatty, gluttonous fries I’ve ever eaten in the area.

They’re served on a board measuring 11-by-14 inches.

They’re also impossible to eat by fewer than two diners. Bring friends for this geological dig of a dish called Dirty Pork Fries.

Find it at The Mill Restaurant and Sports Bar in Milton. They’re the handiwork of executive chef Alex Anton.

Those who dined at Smoke + Cedar, the former restaurant at Allenmore Golf Course from Gordon Naccarato, might remember the Dirty Fries on that menu.

That’s where the idea for Anton’s current version percolated while he worked as chef at Smoke + Cedar.

The ingredients at The Mill are shifting components that Anton changes with the season or at whim. When the restaurant opened in June, it loaded its fries with duck. Now it’s pulled pork.

Diners can stick with the smaller $9 version if paying $18 for the loaded order goes against your sworn allegiance to bargain eating.

Let’s dissect them down to their base ingredients, shall we?

THE FRIES

At Smoke + Cedar, the dirty fries were shoestring, but Anton’s Mill version come with thick-cut fries. They’re poached in oil first. Then, they’re returned for a double dunk in the fryer for crisping. The crispy exterior breaks to a velvety soft potato inside. These are terrific, hand-cut fries.

THE PORK

The fries come standard topped with pulled pork, which collects some tang and smoky tones from Anton’s house seasoning made with hickory smoked salt, cayenne, paprika and brown sugar.

FLAVORINGS

The standard order also comes with three brilliant levels of flavoring. First, there’s deep-fried sage and rosemary leaves that offer crunch and dimension.

Poached garlic is fried-to-order, giving more bite and texture. Pickled peppers add a kick of heat, plus vinegar tang to cut all that fat.

MAKE ’EM FILTHY

Staffers use a fun shorthand for the add-ons. They call the loaded fries “filthy.”

The filthy version can be built with up to three additional ingredients that cost $3 each.

The first is a side dish of warm beer and cheddar cheese sauce. Anton makes the base in advance, then finishes it to order.

“When you cook a cheese sauce ahead of time, it gets grainy. Our cheese sauce is gooey because we add the cheese to order and don’t let it overheat,” he said.

He fortifies the cheddar and beer with Worcestershire sauce, mustard and Mama Lil’s peppers. Pouring the cheese over the fries is imperative.

Kurobuta Farms bacon is the next add-on (it’s an off-menu offering). It’s thick-cut smoked pork belly (bacon) that’s been hardwood smoked with a delicious smoky tang and satisfying texture.

Finally, there’s the egg. It arrives fried with a jiggly center, stacked right on top of the giant tangle of fries and pork. If you do it right, you’ll poke the yolk so that it spills down into the bottom layer.

Here’s one more layer of awesome to the fries: The ingredient sourcing. It’s worth noting that the fries are cooked in rice bran oil that’s GMO free. The pork is Kurobuta (fancy pork). The egg comes from Lettuce Bee Friends Farm in Yelm.

Anton’s working on the next version of the fries now. Sneak peek: He’s perfecting a gruyere cheese sauce.

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Bring a friend (or 10) for this plate of pork-covered fries."