Poutine
About 1 pound of russet potatoes per person (yes I said 1 pound) washed, leaving skin on
Fresh cheese curds (about 2 ounces per person) warmed to room temperature (see notes at bottom of page)
Gravy of your choice, brown gravy, chicken gravy, my Almost KFC gravy is awesome (see recipe elsewhere in the Blog)
Deep fryer oil heated to 275 F
Slice potatoes into french fry size according to your preference. I use my OXO Good Grips Mandolin Slicer which makes a perfect french fry and does it fast.
Once all the potatoes are sliced place them into a bowl of ice cold water and let soak for one hour.
Drain the water from the potatoes and then spread out on a dry towel and let dry at room temperature for at least one hour. Toss once in a while to get all the fries turned over and well dried. This is important!!! (see notes at bottom of page)
Make your gravy then set aside to keep warm on a low flame.
Place a batch of now dried potato fries into your pre-heated deep fryer set to 275 F to blanch them. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, until the potatoes are just barely cooked.
Remove the blanched fries from the oil and set aside to cool. Now you may think by looking at them that they will be greasy. Nay, nay. They will be just fine. Trust me. Once all potatoes are blanched, let them cool to room temperature then crank up the heat on the deep fryer to 375 F.
Place a batch of cooled blanched fries into the hot oil and cook until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towel or use a grate to allow them to drain for a few seconds.
Place the hot and drained french fries into a bowl and place the cheese curd on top.
Pour some gravy over top of the cheese and fries.
Now enjoy!!!!!
Notes at bottom of page:
In this region we can purchase a great tasting packaged gravy mix called Sylvia's Perfect French Fry Gravy and it is frigging great.
I make it according to the package instructions except (you knew there'd be an "except" didn't you?) instead of using water I use a no sodium beef stock, either home made or Campbell's No Salt Added Beef Broth.
Made like this it is fantastic and is easy-peasy. I have made a demi-glace from scratch for poutine as well and it is beyond great but it takes nearly 2 days to make! So Sylvia's it is and it really is good.
If you can't locate Sylvia's Prefect French Fry Gravy then source what you can or make it from scratch.
Note on room temperature cheese curd: When the cheese curd is at room temperature or warmer it will melt nicely into the poutine utilizing the heat from the gravy and the french fries. I like the curds melted slightly so I will pop them into the oven for a minute to warm thoroughly, but not melt before adding them to the poutine.
Also use cheese curds and not mozzarella!!! Mozza is for pizza, not poutine. Cheese curds give a great squeaky bite when fresh, hence their nickname - Squeakers. We love squeakers and use them on lasagna, mac and cheese and other ass-fatteningly great dishes that call for cheese. So take the time to hunt down some squeakers and enjoy the squeak...
Note on drying french fry cut potatoes: Not rocket science really. If the fries are dried completely they take on less oil according to urban myth but I do it because it is less likely to boil to oil over the top since the excess water has been removed. Safety First!!!!