What is Poutine? Poutine is a Canadian staple dish using french fries, gravy, and cheese curds. It comes in many different forms and Canadians are very willing to experiment with different toppings and flavour combinations. However, the traditional dish houses beef gravy and cheese curds.
A great Poutine consists of two things, texture and flavour. Crisp french fries and rich gravy are the keys to success. No one wants a soggy texture. This recipe contains secrets to a crisp chip and the ingredients for a rich beef and bacon gravy. The cheese curds I use in this dish are from a local provider. Lakeside Farmstead here in St. Albert, Alberta. It is important to get fresh, soft curds for this dish and the Lakeside team has figured out the perfect process.
1 shallot sliced fine lengthwise from root to tip.
1 tsp of tomato paste
1.5 cup beef stock
1/2 cup heavy red wine
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp Worcester sauce
2 tbsp of Cornstarch
Salt and cracked pepper to taste
4 large Russet Potatoes
2 tsp rice flour
salt
2 cups Cheese curds
Canola Oil for frying. (If using a counter top deep fryer have clean oil filled to the max line. If using the stove top method have a heavy bottomed pot like a Lodge Dutch oven and fill it 3" deep with Oil. This should fill it to about 1/3 of the pot. Do not go more than this for safety reasons.)
Minced fresh parsley for garnish.
Instructions
Peel your potatoes. Rinse. And then using a mandoline slicer, slice the potatoes lengthwise 1/2″. Then slice into “fingers” about the width of your pinky finger.
Place the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold salted water and allow to sit for an hour.
Meanwhile make the gravy.
Gravy:
In a medium deep skillet, fry the bacon pieces over a medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan and reserve 1 tbsp of the bacon fat. Collect the rest in a dish to discard later.
Return to the pan and add the sliced shallots. Fry over medium heat until they begin to soften and caramelize. Add the red wine and allow to reduce over medium heat by half. Once reduced, add the beef stock.
Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the Worcester sauce and thyme. Now taste. Add salt and pepper as needed.
Return the bacon to the gravy. Taste again. Adjust your seasoning as you need. I tend to go heavy on the pepper.
Mix the cornstarch with equal parts water and add it to the gravy. Bring the mixture to a boil. It should thicken to a nice sauce that coats the back of the spoon. If too thick, add more beef stock to thin it out. It should “pour” when you serve it. Think buttermilk consistency.
Turn the gravy to a low heat, and lets make the fries.
Fries:
Heat your oil to 300°
Remove the potatoes from the water and dry throughly. I use a salad spinner then place them on some paper towel and pat completely dry.
Toss them in the rice flour until it coats all the fries. This will help give the fries a nice crunch.
In small handful batches, add the fries to the oil and cook each batch for 3 minutes. Remove to paper towel. Once all the fries have been cooked, increase the heat of the oil to 325°.
Fry the fries again for 3 minutes in small batches. Remove and set aside.
Increase the heat to 365°
Return the fries to this heat in small batches and cook for about 1-2 minutes. They should be a rich caramel brown color. Remove and set on paper towel. Sprinkle with salt.
Grab your poutine bowl. Add the fries. Top with 1/4 cup of Cheese curds per serving. Spoon the gravy over top. Sprinkle with parsley and grind or two of cracked pepper. Enjoy.
adoptedtomato
