Canadian Poutine
When Bill and I moved to Maine a few years ago, we knew that we would see Canadian influences since Maine borders Quebec and New Brunswick. What we never expected was to find a delicious recipe for Canadian poutine at a local food truck park and then decide to recreate it at home.
Canadian Poutine
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That trip to the food truck park was our first time trying poutine, a traditional Canadian dish. Basically, it is French fries with cheese and gravy. It’s rich, to be sure and something special you can make for a holiday dinner or even a potluck you might be attending. If you tell people you’re bringing fries, they’ll think you’re copping out. But then when you place a plate of poutine on the table, they’ll be super impressed.
Here is a picture of that first taste of poutine, which was served on a pizza. Don’t judge it until you try it.
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Ingredients
For this recipe, you’ve got two sets of ingredients. First is for making the fries that will become the basis of your poutine. The second set is for the gravy and topping.
Fries
- 4 russet potatoes large
- 4 cups vegetable oil for frying; skip if making in the air fryer
- salt to taste
Gravy and Topping
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 1/2 cups cheese curds
Making and Cooking the Fries
- Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut them into 1/4-inch thick fries.
- Soak the fries in cold water for at least 30 minutes to remove excess starch. Drain and pat dry with a clean paper towel.
- Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot to 325 F. This is likely on the medium setting on your cooktop.
- Fry the potatoes in batches for about 5 minutes, or until soft but not yet golden. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Increase the oil temperature to 375 F — most likely the medium-high setting on your cooktop — and fry the potatoes a second time for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.
- Remove immediately and drain on fresh paper towels.
Making the Gravy
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the flour and whisk continuously for about 2 minutes, until golden brown. At this point, you’re making something called a roux.
- Slowly whisk in the beef and chicken broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
- Add Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and salt to taste.
- Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gravy thickens. Remove from heat.
Assembling the Canadian Poutine
- Place a generous portion of hot fries on a plate or in a bowl.
- Sprinkle fresh cheese curds over the fries.
- Pour hot gravy over the top, ensuring it melts the cheese slightly. Enjoy!
Notes
The nutritional information I’ve provided here only accounts for a small amount of the very large quantity of cooking oil the recipe calls for. That’s because, typically, less than 10 percent of frying oil ends up being consumed.
Don’t like deep frying? You can use this recipe and cook the potatoes in the air fryer instead of deep frying them in oil. The same tip applies to cooking them a second time to make sure they are crisp enough to hold up under the gravy.
If you’re not happy with how the potatoes come out after the first cook, run them through again but for half the cooking time.
If you’re tight on time but still want to make Canadian poutine, you can skip the part about making fries from scratch and use frozen French fries instead. Choose thick cut fries, not shoestring or crinkle cut, otherwise your poutine won’t look authentic. Just make the toppings fresh as the gravy isn’t something you can buy at the store.
Use fresh cheese curds for the signature squeaky texture. Look for them in the supermarket refrigerator case near dairy products like cheese sticks. If you can’t find cheese curds — they’re usually sold in a bag — then you can use a mild white cheddar, cut into small chunks, as a substitute.
Looking to make your Canadian poutine gluten free? Substitute rice flour for all-purpose flour when making the gravy. You’re using so little — only two tablespoons — that swapping out the regular flour for rice flour shouldn’t affect the taste or consistency of the gravy that much.
The poutine gravy calls for Worcestershire sauce. If you discover you’re out or don’t have enough for the recipe, you can consider using one of these Worcestershire sauce substitutes.
Canadian Poutine
Ingredients
Fries
- 4 russet potatoes large
- 4 cups vegetable oil for frying; skip if making in the air fryer
- salt to taste
Gravy and Topping
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 1/2 cups cheese curds
Instructions
Making and Cooking the Fries
- Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut them into 1/4-inch thick fries.
- Soak the fries in cold water for at least 30 minutes to remove excess starch. Drain and pat dry with a clean paper towel.
- Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot to 325 F. This is likely on the medium setting on your cooktop.
- Fry the potatoes in batches for about 5 minutes, or until soft but not yet golden. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Increase the oil temperature to 375 F — most likely the medium-high setting on your cooktop — and fry the potatoes a second time for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.
- Remove immediately and drain on fresh paper towels.
Making the Gravy
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the flour and whisk continuously for about 2 minutes, until golden brown. At this point, you're making something called a roux.
- Slowly whisk in the beef and chicken broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
- Add Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and salt to taste.
- Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gravy thickens. Remove from heat.
Assembling the Canadian Poutine
- Place a generous portion of hot fries on a plate or in a bowl.
- Sprinkle fresh cheese curds over the fries.
- Pour hot gravy over the top, ensuring it melts the cheese slightly. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values, if included with the recipe, are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability/substitution and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.