An American Poutine You Can Make At Home
Sometimes I cry when I remember that there are some countries where Poutines aren’t a thing
Canadians, Americans and people around the world, gather around and let me show you how to make Authentic Canadian Poutine with my absolute FAVOURITE poutine recipe!
INGREDIENTS
FRIES:
4 pounds (1814g) Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” inch sticks
Vegetable oil, for frying
1-2 tablespoon salt
GRAVY:
6 tablespoon (90g) unsalted butter
¼ cup (32g) all purpose flour
4 cups (960ml) beef or chicken stock (I used beef for a darker gravy)
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon salt + more to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper + more to taste
3 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon water
2 cups (250g) Cheese curds
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE FRIES:
Peel the potatoes and slice lengthwise into ¼-inch thick disks. Slice each disk into ¼-inch thick sticks. If you want to keep the skin on, wash the potatoes before slicing.
Place all of the potato sticks into a container or large bowl filled with cold water. Set aside to soak for at least an hour or preferably overnight. If soaking overnight, cover and keep in the fridge. This removes the starch, making the fries extra crispy!
Drain the starch water and rinse off the fries twice with cold water. Transfer fries to a paper towel lined baking sheet and use another sheet of paper towel to pat and dry them as much as possible.
Pour 3-inches of oil into a large deep pot, heat to 300°F. You can use a thermometer or wait a few minutes, then drop a small fry in the oil to check if it starts to fry gently. If it doesn’t, wait a bit longer, if it begins to pop, turn the heat down.
Once the oil is hot enough, grab a handful of fries (don’t actually use your hands) and place them in the oil. Fry for 4-5 minutes to cook the inside, remove them from the oil if they begin to brown.
Place fries onto another paper towel lined baking sheet or plate while you fry the remaining batches. You’ll need to work in small batches because if too many fries are added at once, the oil can bubble up and spill over, so stick with a handful at a time to be safe.
Once all fries are cooked, heat the oil to 400°F, then once again fry the fries in small batches until they are golden and crispy, another 3-5 minutes. Keep an eye on them, you don’t want them to burn.
Place them on paper towels to soak up the oil, then sprinkle with some salt. There’s no measurements for this, feel free to sprinkle as much or as little salt as you like.
FOR THE GRAVY:
Add butter to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted.
Once butter has melted, add the flour and whisk until mixture begins to bubble and foam. Continue to whisk for another 1 minute.
Slowly pour in the beef stock while whisking constantly.
Once stock is incorporated, whisk in the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
Allow gravy to reach a boil. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch and water to make a slurry.
Once gravy begins to boil, add cornstarch slurry and whisk to combine.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and allow gravy to simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, it should coat the back of a spoon. About 10-15 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
ASSEMBLY:
Transfer the fries to your serving plates. Place cheese curds on top of the fries and immediately pour the hot gravy on top so it can melt the curds. Serve and enjoy!
NOTES
Fries: Don’t wanna make homemade fries? This recipe can work with restaurant fries, or frozen fries that have been baked in the oven.
Cheese Curds: If you can’t find cheese curds, a good substitute is soft mozzarella cheese.
