I had a reminder that tonight was the high school football game. Our team is named The Aurora Greenmen. Isn’t that awesome? They have moved onto round 2 of the playoffs, and they are ready to take on the Gilmour Academy Lancers this Friday for their last home game of the season! I hope that all the families in my city will cheer and put on their green shirts. So, I was thinking about something really good to make for tonight. And bam! I thought about the best-renowned dish that Québec is proud to call its own. The poutine! A classic recipe from Québec that is perfect for sports events of all kinds.
With the decadent flavors of cheese curds, gravy, and french fries, you’ll find it hard to resist this dish.
The poutine is perfect for cravings and chilly temperatures.
This is one where there won’t be any leftovers, which is good because the dish won’t last very well in the fridge anyway.
And just so you know, the right way to pronounce it is “poo-tin” (with the emphasis on the last syllable) because people in Québec will say it like that! I found a recipe from seasonsandsuppers.ca, another Canadian blogger; I think it is the closest recipe to what I know. And if you are lucky and live in Québec, you can go out and buy one tonight!
Authentic 'Québécoise' Poutine Recipe
Source: seasonsandsuppers.ca
Ingredients
- Poutine Gravy:
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 20 oz beef broth
- 10 oz chicken broth
- Pepper, to taste
- For French Fries
- 2 lbs Russet potatoes, (3-4 medium potatoes)
- Peanut or other frying oil
- Toppings:
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups white cheddar cheese curds, (Or torn chunks of mozzarella cheese would be the closest substitution)
Instructions
Prepare the gravy: In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water and set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture turns golden brown.
Add the beef and chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk. Stir in about HALF the cornstarch mixture and simmer for a minute or so. If you'd like your gravy thicker, add a more of the cornstarch mixture, in small increments, as needed, to thicken. Season with pepper. Taste and add additional salt, if necessary, to taste. Make ahead and re-warm or keep warm until your fries are ready.
For Deep-Fried Fries: Prepare your potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch thick sticks. Place into a large bowl and cover completely with cold water. Allow to stand at least one hour or several hours. When ready to cook, heat your oil in your deep fryer or large, wide, heavy cooking pot to 300° F.
Remove the potatoes from the water and place onto a sheet of paper towel. Blot to remove as much excess moisture as possible.
Add your fries to the 300°F oil and cook for 5-8 minutes, just until potatoes are starting to cook but are not yet browned. Remove potatoes from oil and scatter on a wire rack. Increase oil temperature to 375°F Once oil is heated to that temperature, return the potatoes to the fryer and cook until potatoes are golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined bowl.
To Prepare Poutine: Add your fried or baked fries to a large, clean bowl. Season lightly with salt while still warm. Add a ladle of hot poutine gravy to the bowl and using tongs, toss the fries in the gravy. Add more gravy, as needed to mostly coat the fries.
Add the cheese curds and toss with the hot fries and gravy. Serve with freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.
If you know me, you know that I love referring my québécois chef. Ricardo wrote a full article for 7 Recipes for Homemade Poutine. I have to say that it looked a little bit weird to me. I love my poutine tradition. But, if you are more adventurous, go for it and leave me a message I want to know how it was!
Good luck Friday to all of you! I know that our team will make us very proud to be Aurora residents.
Wow, that was very nice of you to give everybody that recipe! My name is Rose, Julie and it’s a pleasure meeting you!
Thank you Rose! What a great pleasure to meet you. Tell me what kind of recipe you like and I’ll try to find my version for you.
Welcome to the secrets of Happy and me!