Poutine

How to make a poutine and its many variations:

The poutine (poo-teen) is a very versatile dish that can be served as a side dish to hot dogs and hamburgers, or can be eaten as a main dish. It is also a very popular choice to set your stomach right after a night of heavy drinking.

What you need:

1- French fries. You can make your own or buy them in the frozen section of your grocery store. I usually go for the frozen stuff. It’s a lot less messy, and they only take a few minutes to prepare.

2- The sauce. Here’s a basic recipe for poutine sauce:

• 1 quart stock of chicken or veal
• 2 ounces of flour
• 2 ounces of butter or oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

First, bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan. Then, combine the butter and the flour and cook over high heat, stirring the mixture until everything simmers (two to three minutes). Then, bring the heat down and let simmer for around 35 minutes. Don’t forget to stir the sauce frequently. When you’re done, strain the sauce through a strainer lined with cheesecloth, and add salt and pepper to taste. If you want your sauce to be thicker, lower the heat to medium and let it reduce further.

And if you are like me, just take some pre-prepared (powder form) brown or BBQ sauce (like the stuff they use on chicken). Much easier that way!

3- A bag of fresh cheese curds.  You want those to be really fresh! How can you tell? When you eat a piece, they have to squeak loudly in your mouth. If you can’t find that kind of cheese, you can use grated cheddar or mozzarella, but it’s not as good.

When you have all the ingredients handy, follow these instructions:

1. Dump a bit of cheese curds on the bottom of a bowl
2. Cover them with lots of fries
3. Cover the fries with a good fistful of curds
4. Pour sauce on top of everything
5. Enjoy

Sounds disgusting? Maybe, but it’s absolutely delicious. Here are a few extras you can add to your poutine:

• Fried onions
• Chopped hot dog sausages
• Chicken
• Peas
• Replace the traditional sauce with a Bolognese or Marinara one. We call this an Italian poutine.

Get the idea? Use you imagination. I’m sure you’ll come up with some fantastic variations.