--- title: Legend Was Asked to Bring Potato Dish Picks McDonald’s Fries description: When asked to bring a potato dish to a potluck, this genius brought McDonald's French fries . canonical: https://time.com/5750672/potato-dish-fries/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-12-16T15:36:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:01:08.538Z og:title: Genius Who Was Asked to Bring Potato Dish Rolls Up With McDonald’s Fries og:description: And just like that a holiday tradition was born. og:url: https://time.com/5750672/potato-dish-fries/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt382e40273a9c95bc/698a078db21a9c53bf502dd7/FrenchFries.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1999 og:image:height: 1124 og:image:alt: French fries og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Genius Who Was Asked to Bring Potato Dish Rolls Up With McDonald’s Fries twitter:description: And just like that a holiday tradition was born. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt382e40273a9c95bc/698a078db21a9c53bf502dd7/FrenchFries.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Casual Holiday Legend Asked to Bring Potato Dish Rolls Up With McDonald’s Fries > Sponsored content. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Dec 16, 2019 3:36 PM UTC  French fries, full frame. French fries, full frame. Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Dec 16, 2019 3:36 PM UTC This holiday season, you might consider giving family members what they really want—French fries. Over on Reddit, a user shared a heartwarming moment from a family potluck where a cousin brought an unexpected side dish. The user’s cousin is apparently a culinary genius, because when asked to bring a “potato dish” to a family party, [they](https://time.com/5746516/merriam-webster-word-of-the-year-2019/) didn’t show up with scalloped potatoes, potatoes au or Master Chef Joel Robuchon’s [signature mashed potatoes](https://time.com/5358523/robuchon-mashed-potatoes/). Instead, they brought McDonald’s French fries. It is a canny, if unusual choice, because French fries are made of potatoes and everyone likes them, so while people may laugh, who would complain? Plus, due to a poor potato harvest, there’s the distinct possibility of an [ impending French fry shortage](https://time.com/5742689/potato-farmers-french-fry-shortage/), so this helpful soul is ensuring their family got one last taste of fries this year. In the end, even if McDonald’s French fries aren’t traditional potluck fare, maybe they should be. While there is no doubt that this cousin is now a holiday legend, there’s always the possibility that they were working on a more nefarious scheme. After all, a study has linked eating fried potatoes at least twice a week with [an increased risk of death](https://time.com/4811136/fried-potatoes-mortality-study/). So depending on how they feel about their family during the holidays, this is either an ingenious potluck move or a sneaky form of low-key aggression. 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