For Rick Andreoli Montreal chef and restauranteur, the dish Poutine is an absolute staple of the Canadian diet and it should be celebrated widely around the world. The reality is that this dish, in spite of its many variations, is not very difficult to prepare and it is comfort food of the very highest order. For those of you who have not tried this dish before, poutine is a very simple snack which features French fries with cheese curd, that is bathed in delicious meat gravy and served piping hot. We were speaking with Rick regarding the favorite food of the nation’s top chefs, and that inspired us to give you guys this delicious recipe for how to make the perfect poutine.
The Fries
For best results you have to make those fries on your own, store bought or frozen friend just won’t deliver the same wow factor. Look for some potatoes which have a really nice fluffiness to them, some King Edward’s or something similar could be a great option here. In terms of size, what you are looking for here is a chunky fry which is smaller than a potato wedge, and bigger than the fries you’d find in a fast food outlet.
The Cheese
Usually you can find cheese curds in both yellow and white in the grocery store, and either option works well here. You will usually find that the white cheese offers the strongest flavor, so it is up to you as to how strong you want it. If you are not able to find cheese curds then the best alternative option which works well are mozzarella pearls. We should mention that this would see you veering away from the traditional recipe but it will still taste great nonetheless.
The Gravy
In terms of the gravy this will either be chicken or beef, or you may wish to mix it up. Gravy on poutine is very much a personal choice and this is the key differential from one to another. For example chef Rick likes to use 1/3 poultry stock and 2/3 beef stock to make his gravy, some may do the same in reverse. The bets way to find out which gravy works for you is to simply try a different preparation each time, until you get the ideal flavors for you. The gravy could also be determined by the cheese choice, a stronger cheese may need a lighter chicken gravy rather than having the strong cheese with a strong gravy flavor.
To prepare the poutine you will first need to cook up the french fries so that they are around 90% cooked. Take the potatoes out of the fryer and add the cheese curd whilst everything is still hot, pour over the gravy and then put the plate in a hot oven for no more than 5 minutes. Don’t leave the poutine for much more time than this otherwise the cheese will melt too much. Once finished, serve with some crusty bread, delicious.