Poutine is one of those foods that either you know what it is or you don’t and you either love it or you think it is just weird. Looking at all the pieces separately each piece is good. Fresh cheese curd that is so fresh it still squeaks as you chew? Deliciously salty and full of flavor. Homemade french fries with a crispy outside and silky smooth inside? Yummy. A flavorful gravy is always delicious. But what if you layered them all together. French fries topped with cheese curd and covered completely with gravy? A whole new level of yum!

We always stop for Poutine as we travel through Canada to get to New York. On our last trip to Wisconsin we decided to pick up extra cheese curd and make our own Poutine since we don’t have a trip to New York planned any time soon.

Verdict:

This was a delicious version of the takeout dish we love. It was simple and everyone was happy. There was not a bite left at the end of dinner.

If you have the time definitely take the time to make homemade french fries and gravy. If you don’t have time the frozen French fries or powdered gravy will work but the flavor is so much better with the homemade items. The baked french fries took the longest but after this part is done the dish comes together quickly.

For a gluten-free version of this dish make the gravy with cornstarch.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. potatoes (can substitute frozen french fries if needed)
• canola oil
• 3/4 lb. fresh cheese curd, cut into small pieces (best using fresh cheese curd but can use shredded cheese)
• 2 cups vegetable gravy, either homemade, jarred or powdered (your choice)

Directions:

1. Slice potatoes into thin French fries. Place the sliced potatoes into ice water for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove potatoes from water and dry well on paper towels.
3. Place potatoes on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with canola oil and stir the potatoes to coat completely.
4. Place in oven for 40 minutes. Stir every 5-10 minutes to keep fries from sticking to pan and drizzle with more oil if needed to avoid this.
5. If French fries are not browned at 40 minutes leave in oven in 5 minute increments until desired texture is reached.
6. Heat gravy timing so that just as the fries are coming out of the oven the gravy is hot.
7. Remove fries from oven.
8. Place a serving of hot fries on a plate with cheese curd sprinkled over the top. Cover the fries and cheese with hot gravy and serve immediately.