Craving That Poutine
Hot, fresh cut fries, sexy gravy and cheese curds... I'm not Canadian but Poutine is one of my favourite dishes in the world. It's weird to many people but everything about it just screams "comfort food", the fries, the gravy, the cheese curds! In my country, it is quite hard to find cheese curds or squeaky cheese anywhere if there are any at all so it is quite difficult to make your own poutine at home and the other dilemma that has plagued me is that due to the pandemic, the restaurants are closed and I simply can't get my poutine fix!
What I have resorted to doing is to make my own bootleg poutine at home with the closest thing to cheese curds; mozzarella! Before I share with you how I did so, I want to issue a solemn apology to all Canadians and poutine lovers who may be reading this right now for using mozzarella, I know poutine is close your hearts but I needed this, I'm sure you'll understand! I could make my own cheese curds but that's a lot of work I do not have time for at the moment.
The Method
I have my own method for making the best fries with crispy outsides and beautiful insides. I normally cut the potatoes into chip like strips, as you do, then rinse them in cold water and boil them until tender first. You can use whatever type of potato you want with this method as well as any type of potato cutting apparatus to make fries.
Once boiled, I lay them out to dry and cool out while the pot of oil comes up to the right temperature. Next you just fry them in the oil until golden brown and voila! You have crispy golden fries that go beautifully with anything! As soon as the fries are hot out of the pot, season them well with whatever you want. I used some parsley, salt and garlic salt as well as some cayenne.
While the fries were boiling, I used the time to cut my mozzarella up into nicely sized blocks much like cheese curds to try to recreate the dish as closely as possible. If you cut it too small, they will literally just melt too much. You want them to be big enough such that when the hot gravy is poured in, that they become ooey and gooey yet still maintain a shape to an extent.
Once the fries were seasoned, I layered the fries and cheese blocks so that everything was well distributed. I added some green onions on the side to add a little high note to the dish. This is not necessary but lately, I have been really addicted to them and have been adding them to everything!
Next, take your gravy of your choice (I used a nice brown vegetable gravy) and pour it over the fires and cheese curds while admiring the magic. Nothing beats pouring the hot gravy on a plate of poutine! It makes me hungry just looking at this!
It Hit the Spot
I must say that it did hit the spot and curbed my poutine cravings! It was not exactly like the dish but close enough to get me through until when quarantines are lifted. The fries were crispy and heavenly, the gravy was delicious and the mozzarella did just fine. Let me know if you guys try this one out during the quarantines and I hope this helps those of you who may not be able to easily access curds or squeaky cheese. Thanks a lot for reading guys, stay safe, Cheers!
