Authentic Canadian Classic Poutine is a traditional Canadian appetizer that’s so hearty, it can be served as a meal. Baked seasoned fries topped with cheese curds and homemade gravy is just the indulgence you need for cheat day, parties, or happy hour at home!
Being a Canadian in America is difficult sometimes. While there are definitely bigger reasons (like missing the snow!!) than this particular one, I find myself longing for authentic Canadian Classic Poutine all the time!
Authentic Canadian Classic Poutine
For those of you unfamiliar with this incredible culinary delight, Poutine is a French-Canadian masterpiece of fries, cheese curds, and a delicious gravy. Most bars and Canadian cuisine restaurants have some version of poutine on the menu in Canada. I’m not joking; even Indian restaurants. Although many variations exist (curry poutine, Mexican Poutine), my favorite remains classic Canadian poutine. It sounds simple enough, but these three components together are an indulgent masterpiece!
I did find a version of poutine in New York one time. In a small pub, the menu listed “Disco Fries” with a similar description to poutine. Excitedly, I ordered disco fries. Believe me…it was not the same thing!
Surprisingly, my favorite part of poutine is not the fries; it’s the gravy. The beef and chicken stock together is unbelievably tasty, and the few drops of Worcestershire sauce just take it over the top! My gravy is definitely the star in this recipe.
Cheese curds are sometimes difficult to find in grocery stores. If you can’t find them near you, I’ve found that using mozzarella pearls (made for salads) achieve remarkably similar results.
Fun Facts about Authentic Canadian Classic Poutine:
- The word Poutine in Quebec is a slang word for “a mess”.
- The “disco fries” I mentioned earlier was a common dish served in clubs in New York and New Jersey in the 1970s and was inspired by Canadian Poutine.
- Poutine is not always a simple and common dish that’s economical. In fact, at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal, the poutine is $23 per dish and is served with foie gras.
Ingredients
- 3 large russet potatoes, cut into long strips
- 1/4 cup corn oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup cheese curds
- 3 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in equal parts water
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375ºF and soak the cut potatoes in ice cold water for 10 minutes before draining the water and patting the potatoes dry with paper towels.
- In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with half the oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Pour the rest of the oil (divided) in two large baking sheets and arrange the potatoes in a single layer on each baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and flip with a spatula. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, flip again. Put the sheets back in the oven and bake for a last 25 minutes.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add in the flour and whisk until completely combined. Pour in both the chicken and beef broth with the Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Continue whisking. Add in the cornstarch water to the saucepan and whisk until the gravy thickens.
- While the fries are hot, put them on a plate, add desired amount of cheese curds over the top, and ladle the gravy over the top of the fries and cheese curds.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: If you're really a stickler for the classics and want to deep fry the potatoes, fill a dutch oven with canola oil or corn oil and bring the temperature to 375ºF (use a thermometer!). Fry the potatoes in batches for about 4 minutes until golden brown!
We hope you love this Classic Poutine recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Ritika from R&M Cooks, as much as we do. If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to stop by our Appetizer Section to find more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
