John Gonzalez | MLive

BY AMY SHERMAN | asherma2@mlive.com

Which ski hill in Michigan has some of the best french fries in the state? According to our MLive Michigan's Best readers it is Caberfae Peaks in Cadillac, a sweet little family run resort.

During our search for Michigan's Best french fries in 2017, Caberfae Peaks came in second in our Northern Lower Peninsula poll. We realized that they really must make some great fries if they garnered almost 20% of the votes in the middle of the summer, when the ski hills are not even open.

Mountain manager Tim Meyer told us that "we do 85% of our business in the winter months, so even we were a little surprised by this, just because of the timing."

Now is the time to head to Cadillac to try the famous Caberfae Peaks french fries.

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Amy Sherman | asherma2@mlive.com

Ready for tasting

During the off season, Caberfae specializes in weddings, golf and other destination events. The day we visited, they were preparing for a wedding, but still took the time to fry up some of their famous fries for us to try. We learned that for many weddings, a late night "fry bar" is a popular choice to sate party goers hunger.

It is during the winter months, however, that Caberfae fries have their moment in the spotlight. The volume that they go through here at the hill is crazy.

On a busy day, they can fry upwards of 500 pounds of fries to satisfy hungry skiers. During the busy winter months, that means they could potentially fry a ton of fries a week. That is a ton of fries. Literally.

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Amy Sherman | asherma2@mlive.com

Fryers just for fries.

So just what makes these fries so great? They've got a couple of things at Caberfae that sets them apart.

Because of the volume they do, Caberfae just doesn't have the capacity to hand cut their own fries. Instead, they buy a high quality frozen fry. They have a whole set of fryers that are only used for frying french fries, so that there is no cross contamination or flavor mixing. This makes for a fry that is not only nice and crispy, but also has a true potato flavor.

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Sizzle, sizzle

The fries are a 3/8 inch cut potato, and they take a swim in pure canola oil. The oil in the fryers at Caberfae gets changed every single day, for a fresh fry every time.

During the high season, Caberfae is cooking basket after basket of fries. Those special fryers rarely get a break all winter long.

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Amy Sherman | asherma2@mlive.com

It's all about the salt, chef.

The real secret behind the fries at Caberfae is the secret recipe "Chef's Salt" that they liberally apply to each and every batch of fries. They wouldn't tell us what made this salt so special, but I deduced notes of black pepper, garlic and paprika. Delicious.

These fries come out wonderfully crispy on the outside, and super creamy on the inside. The seasoning is just interesting enough without being overwhelming. These are some pretty tasty fries, and a total great deal too.

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Amy Sherman | asherma2@mlive.com

Piles and piles of fries

The fries even have their own slogan. "Where a small is a large, and a large is a mountain."

They aren't lying. The portions here are huge. The large spills over onto a sheet tray there are so many fries. It could feed 5 adults, three pre teens, or one hungry teen age skier.

A small is a mere $3.50, while a large full tray of fries is $5. A steal.

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Crock Pot

Caberfae is an old school ski resort in many ways, even thought they have undergone some major renovations in the last few years. While the rooms at the hotel have been updated, the main lodge retains its wood paneled charm. Snuggle up to the roaring fire, or grab a table to share with friends.

Not in the mood for french fries? Or maybe you are ready to make your own version of chili cheese fries? Caberfae is one of the only ski resorts that welcomes your personal crock pot to hang out downstairs just waiting for you to come off the slopes and feast. Coordinate recipes with friends, plan on getting to the lodge early to claim your space, and always be willing to share, both your table, your outlet, and your meal. That's how friends are made.

Caberfae french fries are a delicious break from some great skiing in Northern Lower Michigan. A verifiable mountain of fries, every time.

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If you go:

Caberfae Peaks Ski & Golf

1 Caberfae Ln, Cadillac, MI 49601

Phone: (231) 862-3000

FACEBOOK

Caberfae's website

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January 13 Sunrise! You may not have snow in your yard, but we still have a 50" base! Check out this amazing sunrise drone video taken this morning! Posted by Caberfae Peaks on Saturday, January 13, 2018

Caberfae is a beautiful sight, with fries or without.

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Instagram

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Have you tried our Famous French Fries or Arlo's Ultimate Bloody Mary? Here is a look behind the scenes of some our favorites. Posted by Caberfae Peaks on Wednesday, March 11, 2015

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Michael Clark | MLive.com

Check out our whole search for Michigan's Best french fries

44 of the best french fries in Michigan.

You can find Michigan's Best french fries at these 10 places.

Michigan's Best french fries are at Midland Burger Company.

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John Gonzalez | MLive.com

Your complete guide to Michigan's Best

Our Michigan's Best guide to nearly 300 places. We've searched for everything from coney dogs, tacos, doughnuts, dessert, subs, chicken wings, breweries, to Bloody Mary's, bowling alleys, pizza, and Italian restaurant.

We're always taking suggestions for new searches.

Email us:

John Gonzalez is at gonzo@mlive.com

Amy Sherman is at asherma2@mlive.com

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