Poutine: Fries, Cheese Curds and Gravy

Fries, gravy and cheese! What's not to like! Poutine is a tasty Canadian dish, made with french fries, topped with a brown gravy and cheese curds. 

A local pub began serving them a few months ago, and topped them with fried crumbled Spam. I couldn't wait to try my hand at making the dish at home.  If you don't have curds available, a cheddar or other sharp cheese would work.

I make my own fries, but store bought frozen, then fried ones would work. I haven't tried oven fries, but fries should be very crispy, so I deep fry.  

Pre-frying fresh fries first, as directed below helps with making them crispy and golden brown on the second frying.

Packets of commercial brown gravy mix are handy for making this recipe, as you just add water, mix and heat until ready to serve.  There's a nearby cheese factory selling curds in our area, so I keep them on hand.  Curds can be purchased online or sometimes found at summer farmer's markets.

Poutine: Fries, Curds and Gravy
1-1/3 cups thickened beef gravy, homemade or commercial
salt & pepper
4 medium white potatoes, peeled and cut for fries
1 cup crumbled cheese curds, or other sharp cheese
Optional: Fried strips of Spam or bacon, crumbled over the top for garnish

For the gravy: in a saucepan over medium heat, combine the 3 Tabs. of butter and 3 Tabs. of flour. Stir until blended. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes for a dark roux. Stir in a can of beef stock and blend. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.  Or use commercial beef gravy canned or a dry mix with water:  heat, then set aside, keeping warm.

Peel potatoes and cut for fries, 4 inches by 1/2-inch. Pre-fry at 250 for 2minutes. Remove, drain and cool. They'll be light brown and limp. Then fry again until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.  Fry in batches and keep warm in a 250 oven.

To serve, mound fries into individual plates or bowls. Spoon gravy over the fries and crumble the cheese curds over the top. Garnish with crumbled fried Spam or bacon.
Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Estimated cost: $5.00 or less.

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