Poutine Recipe

Poutine is considered by many to be Canada's national dish. The name "poutine" is derived from Acadian slang for "pudding" or "a mushy mess" which is an apt description of this delicacy from the Great White North.

Poutine, in its most traditional form, consists a bed of French fried potatoes, topped with cheese curds and rich, brown gravy. The recipe originated in Eastern Quebec in the late 1950s but the inventor of this dish is disputed to this day. Most agree that the recipe for poutine was developed by one of two restauranteurs in the area, Fernand Lechance or Jean-Paul Roy.

Regardless of who invented poutine, today you can find it served throughout Canada and in some parts of the United States. In fact, this recipe is based on a version of poutine that we tried at a restaurant called Senate located in Southwest Ohio. This restaurant is a local favorite for its gourmet takes on regional, short-order specialties such as the Chicago Style Hot Dog. Their version of poutine sticks to the basics with the addition of shredded meat from pork spare ribs - a welcome addition to an already decadent feast. For simplicity, we used frozen french fries that are baked in the oven. If you don't mind doing a little more work, you can use this recipe for French Fries to make them from scratch.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 pound pork from ribs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup of cheddar cheese curds
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1/2 of a 32oz. bag of French fries (I used Ore-Ida Crinkle Fries)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven according to the directions on the bag of French fries.
2. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
3. You will need to divide the pork into two batches and cook one batch at a time in order to maintain the proper temperature in the skillet. Add the pieces of pork to the skillet and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes each side. Do not move the meat while it cooks. You want small bits of browned pork to stick to the bottom of the pan. When the pork has finished cooking, remove it from the skillet and set aside to cool. After it has cooled, cut it into smaller pieces.
4. Add the second batch of pork to the skillet and repeat step #3.
5. Place the french fries on a greased baking sheet and place them in the oven to bake.
6. Reduce the heat of the skillet to medium. Add the butter and flour to the skillet to make a roux. Using a wire whisk, stir the flour and butter mixture constantly until it turns light brown like the color of peanut butter.
7. Pour the beef stock into the skillet using the whisk to mix it in with the roux to make the gravy for the poutine.
8. Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally. When the gravy reaches the desired level of thickness, reduce the heat to low.
9. When the fries have finished baking, top them with the cheddar cheese curds and pieces of pork and reduce the oven temperature to warming temperature. Heat the fries for 5 more minutes.
10. Remove the fries from the oven and top with the gravy.
11. Serve hot.

Canada [ print this recipe for Poutine ]