Simple, cheesy, gooey and addicting, this non-traditional poutine recipe is a fun and addicting dinner, appetizer or munchie recipe that you must try once in a lifetime; it’s one of those foods that is Messy, gooey and delicious. Learn everything you need to know to make Authentic, Canadian Poutine right at home!
What is Poutine :
Poutine is French Fries that are topped with cheese curds and brown gravy.
Where Did Poutine Originate :
Poutine originated in Quebec, although there are varying stories as to how. One such story is that a customer requested that cheese curds be added to their French Fries at a restaurant called Le Lutin qui rit.
Poutine Pronunciation :
“Pu-tsin” is really the correct pronunciation of the word, not “Poo-teen”.
Why is it Called Poutine :
“Poutine” is Quebec slang for “a mess”.
How to Make Poutine :
- Make homemade French fries if at all possible, they are golden, crispy, and perfect. You can bake them or fry them. If you’re short on time, frozen French fries also work well, and can also be baked or fried.
- Once the fries are cooked, drain on paper towels and spread out on a large serving platter; then immediately sprinkle with cheese and top with cheese curds.
- Prepare your gravy mixture according to package directions, then drizzle over fries and cheese.
- Sprinkle with parsley if desired and devour.
Tasty Canadian Poutine
cheesy, gooey, and addicting, this Traditional Poutine recipe is a fun and addicting dinner, appetizer, or food craving recipe that you must try once in a lifetime. It's quick and easy to prepare and it feeds a crowd
Ingrédients
- 6 to 8 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for frying
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon whole green peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- pinch Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups cheddar cheese curds
Instructions
- Slice the potatoes lengthwise, about 1/4 inch thick. Stack the slices and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick sticks (or cut the potatoes into fries using a french fry cutter). Place in a large bowl filled with cold water and let sit at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours for extra-crispy fries. Drain well and pat dry or spin dry in a salad spinner.
- Make the gravy: Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and beef stock, ketchup, vinegar, peppercorns and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and make a roux, stirring until slightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the stock mixture into the roux and simmer until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and keep warm.
- Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Heat 2 to 3 inches vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F (or use a deep fryer). Fry the potatoes in small batches until whitish yellow, about 8 minutes. Remove with a strainer and drain on the paper towels. Bring the oil temperature to 375 degrees F over high heat. Fry the potatoes in batches again until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on fresh paper towels. Salt and pepper the fries while hot. Strain the gravy.
- Put the fries in shallow dishes; top with the cheese curds and gravy.
Notes
TIPS FOR MAKING CANADIAN POUTINE :
- Use Russet potatoes. Don’t be tempted to use any other variety of potatoes, especially waxy potatoes such as Yukon gold. Waxy potatoes are filled with so much water that evaporates when fried, leaving you a hollow, collapsing potato!
- Uniform large fries. Make sure to cut your fries into similar sizes so that they cook at the same rate. Cut them ½-inch and not any smaller so they can stand up to the rich gravy, otherwise they’ll quickly become droopy and fall apart.
- Transfer fries to water immediately. Potatoes oxidize, meaning they turn brown when exposed to the air/oxygen, so you’ll want to transfer them to the bowl of cold water as you cut them, as opposed to adding water to the fries once they’re all cut.
- The longer you soak the potatoes in water, the better. Soaking the potatoes removes the starch which makes for extra crispy fries.
- Thoroughly rinse potatoes. After you soak the fries, rinse them under cold water until the water turns clear. This means you have rinsed off any excess starch.
- Thoroughly dry the potatoes. Be sure to thoroughly dry your potatoes after rinsing because any residual water can react with the hot oil and cause it to spatter.
- Use a thermometer! There isn’t an accurate way to check and adjust your oil temperature without using a thermometer. A candy or frying thermometer are handy because they clip onto the edge of the pot to ensure it doesn’t slide around and allows you to continuously read the temperature.
- Fry in batches. There are a lot of fries, so you might be tempted to cram more fries into a batch at once – but don’t! You’ll need to fry the French fries in about six batches. Frying too many fries at once makes them less crispy. It can also make the oil bubble over – dangerous!
- Monitor the French fries. The first batch of French fries generally will require more time and the last batch typically requires less time, so be flexible and watch those fries! You’ll also want to monitor the temperature of the oil and adjust the heat as necessary.
- Cool fries after the first fry before frying a second time. This step isn’t essential but it will create crispier fries. As the fries cool, moisture in the center of the potatoes migrates to the surface of the fries, which is why the surface gets soggy again. Frying the potatoes for a second time boils off that moisture. If you don’t let the potatoes rest, the trapped moisture stays in the center of the fries even after the second fry, creating softer fries. Note: For the crispiest fries, instead of just cooling the fries after the second fry, freeze them by spreading them out on a baking sheet, then frying from frozen.
- You must double fry the potatoes. In order to ensure the fries are fully cooked on the inside before the outsides crisp up, the fries need to be cooked twice. If you don’t fry them twice, you’ll end up with undercooked, brown French fries, or soft, greasy, limp French fries. The Double-Fry Method produces perfectly tender insides and crispy outsides every time.
- Use room temperature cheese curds. Cold cheese curds won’t soften even when drenched with hot gravy. Instead, room temperature curds are the only way to go. Remove the cheese curds from the refrigerator when you start heating your oil.
- Make thick gravy. You want the gravy on the thicker side so it clings to the French fries and cheese curds and doesn’t just slip. For thicker gravy, simply simmer longer.
- Adjust to taste. After the gravy is finished, taste and add more vinegar if you would like a tangier gravy.
- Warm the gravy. After the fries are finished, the gravy will thicken and cool. Simply reheat the gravy, adding additional broth as needed before drizzling on the poutine. The gravy, needs to be hot enough to soften the curds, but not so hot that it melts them completely or burns your tongue!
- Serve immediately. Poutine is best served immediately because the fries soften as they sit and the gravy will cool and thicken.