- Recipes
- Recipes By Course
- Hors D'Oeuvres
A tasty poutine, but without the simmering, frying, and curd-making.
By
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process
Updated March 21, 2019
WRITE A REVIEW
Trending Videos
In This Recipe
The Curds
The Gravy
The Fries
The Assembly
Why It Works
- Fish sauce and soy sauce add savory depth to the gravy.
- Room-temp cheese curds melt just enough when placed on the fresh fries and covered with hot gravy.
A perfect poutineis something to strive for, but I don't kid myself thinking that more than a small handful of you will really go so far as to make your own cheese curds, beef stock,andfrom-scratch fries. Thankfully, it's still possible to make great poutine in under an hour. If you don't have the time and patience to do my labor-intensive version, here's how to make a killer poutine without becoming a cheesemaker.
The Curds
Unless you have a source for uber-fresh—I'm talking made the same day—cheese curds, you'll have to give up the idea of a poutine with curds that deliver that ideal squeaky texture. Instead, the next best things are cheddar cheese curds made farther in advance, which are readily available, including online.
Since these are not same-day fresh, they usually have a slight sharpness to them, although they're still milder and softer than cheddar. In a pinch though, you can use a young, mild cheddar crumbled into bite-size chunks.
The Gravy
To me, giving up the homemade stock is the quick poutine's biggest sacrifice. Canned stocks, in particular beef stock, aren't nearly as good as homemade. Store-bought beef stock is often too beefy, too bland, too salty, or too artificial tasting. To combat bad beef stock, I decided to do a 2:1 blend of beef to chicken stock, thickening it with a roux and stirring in fish sauce and soy sauce to add a savory depth. A splash of rice vinegar gives the tanginess it needs.
The Fries
If you're making homemade fries, there's really no shortcut: You should rinse and double-fry them for best results. If you really want to avoid frying, the easiest thing to do is buy a bag of freezer-aisle French fries and heat them in your oven.
Another option (though, admittedly, a little crazy) is fill a Thermos with the hot gravy, grab your bag of cheese curds, and go load up a plate of plain fries at your favorite spot (just make sure the establishment is okay with you doctoring the food that much). I know you may be tempted to order the fries for delivery, but fries that have sat for too long become soggy, an absolute no-no for poutine.
The Assembly
With all the ingredients in place, the assembly goes like this: Pile the fresh fries into a shallow bowl or plate, top generously with room temperature cheese curds, then ladle on the hot gravy.
It all comes down to your priorities. If only the absolute best poutine will do, follow my perfect poutine recipe and get ready for it to take some time. If you're willing to sacrifice a small amount of quality in favor of speed, you won't be disappointed with this version.
April 2015
Recipe Details
Quick and Easy Poutine Recipe
Active60 mins
Total60 mins
Serves4to 6 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups store-bought beef stock
1 cup store-bought orhomemadechicken stock
2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Kosher salt
1 freshly made batch homemade French fries from the Perfect Poutine recipe or about 2 pounds frozen thick-cut French fries, reheated following package instructions
12 ounces white cheddar cheese curds or mild white cheddar cheese, at room temperature and torn into bite-size pieces
Directions
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in beef and chicken stocks in a steady stream. Stir in fish sauce and soy sauce, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until reduced to 2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vinegar, and season with salt.
Place warm fries in a shallow bowl or dish, top generously with cheese curds, and ladle on hot gravy. Serve immediately.
Read More
- The Ultimate Poutine Recipe
- Hors D'Oeuvres
- Stovetop
- Cheese
- Potatoes
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
421 | Calories |
31g | Fat |
18g | Carbs |
18g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 4to 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 421 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 31g | 40% |
Saturated Fat 16g | 82% |
Cholesterol 81mg | 27% |
Sodium 1117mg | 49% |
Total Carbohydrate 18g | 7% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 4% |
Total Sugars 2g | |
Protein 18g | |
Vitamin C 1mg | 7% |
Calcium 443mg | 34% |
Iron 1mg | 5% |
Potassium 394mg | 8% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)