I know it’s been a long holiday weekend for you, hopefully filled with enough hot dogs and beer to make ’Merica proud, so I’m lobbing you a softball for this month’s dish.
We’re venturing to the Great White North, specifically Quebec, for Canada’s national dish, Poutine. It’s a mess of fries, cheese curds and brown gravy that any American would be proud to call their own.
Poutine, as far as recipes go, is kind of like the hamburger of Canada: everyone claims to have invented it, no one can quite prove it, and though there are a hundred variations, simple is always best.
This is a fast-food, greasy diner kind of dish. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Hand-cut, twice fried potatoes? Sure, but frozen is fine too. Homemade gravy using great-gram’s recipe? If you like. Or just use a mix. Or a can. The only requirement for the cheese curds is that they be fresh. If they don’t squeak when you bite into them, the Poutine just won’t be right.
I opted to make my own fries since it’s a once or twice a year treat that my kids love. I had in mind the whole time I was prepping them that was the way to go. I made a batch of golden brown, crispy, skin on (of course) fries that were Instagram worthy. They were the envy of my friends (in my head) for which I heartily congratulated myself. Then, I poured on the gravy, from a mix if I’m being honest, and they were soggy within minutes. So in this case, I’d say go for the best quality frozen fries and bake them in the oven to save yourself time and calories.
Like I mentioned, this can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. If you don’t want to make gravy, there are actually good quality mixes available that will do the job just fine. If you have leftover gravy, this can be your go-to dish to use it up. Whatever works for you, works for the dish. Although I did see one recipe that called for making your own cheese curds, and I have to draw the line there. Who has the time and inclination to make their own cheese curds? If it’s you, no judgment though.
Anyway, for simplicity’s sake, I’m not going to give you a strict recipe. If you want handmade fries, use about 4-5 good-sized Russet potatoes. Leave the skin on. Soak them in cold water for at least an hour and use the double-fry method. (I’ve written about that before — if you aren’t a regular reader, your punishment is to Google it. I’m not going to explain it twice.) Use about a cup or so of brown gravy, to taste, and about 1-2 cups of white cheese curds, again, to taste.
Both my kids liked these, because fries and cheese of course. My husband and I liked the flavor but both agreed the cheese curds would suit both of our tastes if they were smaller. The curds we bought were huge and didn’t get as melty as I would have liked, so I suggest using smaller curds or cutting them up a little before adding them to the fries.
Though I wouldn’t make it all the time because I somewhat value my health, I won’t count Poutine out of consideration for one of those gotta-have-it junk food days.
