Poutine

Ingredients

Fries

• 1.2 kgRusset or other floury potatoes, cut into 1.5 cm batons
• 2 litresneutral oil or beef dripping, for frying
• Fine salt

Sauce brune

• 40 gbutter
• 40 gplain flour
• 500 mlbeef stock
• 250 mlchicken stock
• 1 tbsptomato ketchup
• 1 tbspcider vinegar
• 1 tspWorcestershire sauce
• 1 tspcracked black pepper
• Salt, to taste

To assemble

• 350 gfresh cheese curds, at room temperature
• 4warm bowls or paper trays

Directions

1. Cut the potatoes into 1.5 cm batons and soak them in cold water for at least 1 hour to wash off surface starch, then drain and dry them completely on a towel. Wet potatoes will not crisp.
2. For the sauce, melt the butter, stir in the flour, and cook the roux over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until it smells nutty and turns the colour of peanut butter. A pale roux gives a floury-tasting gravy.
3. Whisk in both stocks a ladle at a time, keeping it smooth, then add the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes until it coats a spoon, and season. Keep it very hot.
4. Take the curds out of the fridge at least an hour ahead. Cold curds do not soften properly and squeak unpleasantly against hot gravy.
5. Blanch the fries at 150°C (300°F) for 5 to 6 minutes until cooked through, floppy and still pale. Lift them out and drain on a rack for at least 10 minutes.
6. Raise the oil to 190°C (375°F) and fry the potatoes again in batches for 2 to 3 minutes until deep gold, crisp and audibly rattling in the basket. Drain and salt immediately.
7. Assemble fast and in the right order: hot fries in the bowl, then a generous scatter of curds directly onto them, then the boiling gravy poured over the top.
8. Serve straight away with a fork. The curds should be warmed and softened at the edges but still hold their shape and squeak — melted curds mean the gravy was poured too early or the poutine sat too long.

Technique

• The order is the whole argument. Curds go under the gravy, never on top, so the heat of the gravy softens them without melting them into a sheet. Grated mozzarella is not a substitute and would be spotted instantly in Quebec.
• Several rural Quebec towns claim the invention in the late 1950s, Warwick and Drummondville among them, and the dispute has never been settled. What is agreed is that it started in casse-croûtes in the Centre-du-Québec.
• Double frying is essential: the first low fry cooks the interior, the second high fry sets the crust. Fries fried once go soggy the moment gravy touches them.

Substitutions

• No fresh curds: use a young, firm cheddar torn into thumb-sized chunks. It melts more, so add it at the last second.
• A vegetarian sauce brune made with a dark mushroom and onion stock and a well-browned roux is now common in Montreal restaurants.

Variations

• Poutine galvaude adds shredded chicken and green peas.
• Poutine italienne uses a tomato-based meat sauce instead of gravy; the Montreal smoked meat version is the other bar standard.

History

Born in rural Quebec in the late 1950s; Warwick’s Le Lutin qui rit and Drummondville’s Le Roy Jucep both claim to have first combined fries, curds and gravy.

Frequently asked questions

What is Poutine?

Poutine is a street food from Canada: fries topped with cheese curds and hot gravy; Quebecois late-night classic. Born in rural Quebec in the late 1950s; Warwick’s Le Lutin qui rit and Drummondville’s Le Roy Jucep both claim to have first combined fries, curds and gravy.

How long does Poutine take to make?

Poutine takes 30 min plus 1 hr soaking of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Poutine?

Yes, within limits. No fresh curds: use a young, firm cheddar torn into thumb-sized chunks. It melts more, so add it at the last second. A vegetarian sauce brune made with a dark mushroom and onion stock and a well-browned roux is now common in Montreal restaurants.

What is the most important thing to get right in Poutine?

Take the curds out of the fridge at least an hour ahead. Cold curds do not soften properly and squeak unpleasantly against hot gravy.