Poutine
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Feeds: 4

This dish isn’t about heaps of ingredients, or crazy cooking skills, but it is about the right ingredients, and following the procedures closely, to achieve the best results.

From Around Town
1 lb. fresh curd cheese

I recommend getting these from either Paddy’s International Cheese Market, a fantastic local cheese shop ( 12509-102 ave.) or the source themselves, The Cheese Factory (8943-82 ave.), where they make their very own. Make sure you pick these up last minute, the fresher, the squeakier, and the better!

From the Pantry
4 large russet or kennebec potatoes
1 can French fry or poutine gravy
Salt, or seasoning salt, to your liking
2-3 lt. shortening or vegetable oil ( for your deep fryer, each fryer is different, so fill it the the full line, feel free to use your personal choice of cooking oil for this)

Special Tools Recommended

Household deep fryer

• I highly recommend one that has a temperature control, this will give you much more consistent fries, if you don’t have temperature control and a temp gauge, you can use a high temp thermometer, but be extra cautious to use it properly. I also do not recommend using a pot on the stove, because this can be extremely dangerous

Household French fry press

• I found a French fry press for $34.99 at Bosch Kitchen Centre (9767-51 ave.) This may seem like a little money, but if you buy the right one, and take care of it, it should last forever, and most importantly, your French fries will cook so much more evenly than if you cut them by hand

1. Pre-heat your deep fryer to 300F
2. Cut your French fries and allow to soak in cold water for at least 15 minutes
3. Drain French fries and pat dry (be very careful to get nice and dry, or your hot oil will splatter)
4. Using a timer blanch your French fries for 5-6 minutes, this step will cook the potatoes, without browning, remove from oil
5. Turn up your fryer to 340F
6. In a small pot, heat up your gravy
7. Now, return your blanched fries to the hot oil, this time you’re cooking to crisp and brown your French fries. If this step is done right, your fries will taste crispy, not soggy and greasy. Season quickly, as they come out of the hot oil
8. Place your fries in your serving bowls, top with cheese, then finish with gravy!

Enjoy this French Canadian classic! There is a great divide over this, but I love mine with ketchup. Who’s hungry?