Poutine
The French Canadian specialty made from with french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Before you say "le yuck" read on!
One of the great things about our diverse world is all of the interesting foods (and combinations, thereof) that are out there waiting to be tried. Now, depending on who you are, and where you are, this feature may bring you something unique or it just might be something you enjoy everyday. This week's entrée is brought to us from Québec, Canada, Poutine!
One of GourmetSleuth's own creators is a French-Canadian, native of Montreal and speaks highly of this prized local treat. The excerpt below is an article from About.com and does a marvelous job explaining the intricacies of "Poutine".
"Poutine, even God would eat it, coming back from the bars at 3 a.m. plastered with His buddies, sit in front of a bowl of it, full of sauce, and topped with cheese!"
--[translated from the French], quote by Sylvain Bouchard1
Ah, Bliss. There are few foods which will clunk more satisfyingly to the bottom of your gut or stick more cloyingly to your ribs: poutine, the quintessential pig-out dish from Québec. Pronounced poo-TEEN, or to more closely approximate the Québecois dialect, poo-TIN, the classical version is a heap of crispy golden fries piled in a disposable bowl, mixed with cheese curds, then smothered in piping hot beef gravy. The stuff has in the past been hard to come by outside of Canada, but it is catching on as desperate French-Canadians export it to places like Florida, California, NY, France, and other poutine-bereft areas where they find themselves stranded. read more
Ingredients
1 serving homemade French fries.
1 can brown gravy, heated.
Instructions
Place French fries in the serving dish. Cover fries with curd cheese. Pour hot brown gravy over fries.
Serve hot.
Variations on a Poutine Theme
Italian Poutine : Use spaghetti sauce (heated) instead of brown gravy.
Galvaude : Add chopped cooked chicken, peas and coleslaw to the basic poutine recipe above.
Some places use shredded mild cheddar instead of cheese curds, but taste will vary.