Simple Stay-home Recipes: Homemade Canadian Poutine

Tired of mundane meals? A new addition to our simple stay-home recipes, this recipe of homemade Canadian Poutine will definitely shake things up when it comes to your usual home-cooked Asian meals. 

If you’re new to Canadian cuisine like me, you’re probably wondering what poutine is. Adding a twist to the American french fries we all know and love, this Canadian dish is topped with cheese curds and a thick, savoury brown gravy to add some depth to its overall flavour. 

We’ve provided recipes of multiple potato dishes, including baked potato, breakfast hash and hashbrown casserole, but now it’s time to jazz up the potato dishes with one of Quebec’s most popular specialities. 

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Unfortunately, cheese curds are rare on our little red dot, so in this recipe, we had to substitute it with a different cheese. I’d promise you that the poutine with mozzarella balls tastes and looks good, but if you can get your hands on some cheese curds, it might just give you a more authentic taste. 

Without further ado, this was how I came up with  homemade Canadian Poutine, using ingredients that can be found in Singapore. 

Ingredients

Potatoes

  • 3 russet potatoes
  • 3 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • ½ tsp of pepper

Gravy

  • 6 tbsp of unsalted butter (I used ¾ of a generic 250g butter stick) 
  • ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ cups of beef stock
  • 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp of salt
  • ½ tsp of pepper
  • 3 tbsp of corn starch
  • 2 tbsp of water
  • 1 ½ cups of cheese curds (I used bocconcini cheese, also known as mozzarella balls)

Tools

  • Large bowl
  • Baking trays
  • Baking sheets
  • Chopping board
  • Knife
  • Oven
  • Saucepan
  • Whisk

Recipe Preparation

Preparation time: 10 minutes; Cooking time: 30 minutes

Feeds four

  • Preheat the oven to 230°C.
  • Line your baking trays with baking sheets. 
  • Wash your potatoes thoroughly and remove all buds.
  • Slice them up into matchsticks, thin enough for shoestring fries. If you prefer thicker fries, feel free to cut them up as you like. 
  • Place the potatoes into a large bowl and add olive oil, salt and pepper (remember to only use only the first portion of salt and pepper). Toss it to coat. 
  • Line the fries on the baking trays so that they aren’t touching each other. 
  • Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Flip them halfway through if you have thicker fries. 
  • Place the butter and flour into a saucepan and whisk at medium heat. The mixture should look golden-brown. 
  • Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper into the mix and continue whisking. 
  • Add the corn starch and water into a small bowl and stir until the corn starch is dissolved. This is called the slurry
  • Add the slurry into the saucepan and stir until the gravy thickens. 
  • Put the baked potato strips onto a plate, and add the cheese curds. 
  • Pour the hot gravy on the dish and serve.

Recipe (In Pictures)

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 230°C

Step 2: Prepare all your ingredients beforehand to have a smoother cooking experience. 

Simple Stay Home Recipes Poutine

Step 3: Line your baking trays with baking sheets. 

Step 4: Wash your potatoes thoroughly and remove all buds. This is very important because the buds can contain harmful toxins. 

Step 5: Slice them up into matchsticks, thin enough for shoestring fries. If you prefer thicker fries, feel free to cut them up as you like.

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Step 6: Place the potatoes into a large bowl and add olive oil, salt and pepper (remember to only use only the first portion of salt and pepper). Toss it to coat. 

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Step 7: Line the fries on the baking trays so that they aren’t touching each other.

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Step 8: Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Flip them halfway through if you have thicker fries.  

Step 9: Place the butter and flour into a saucepan and whisk at medium heat. The mixture should look golden-brown. 

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Step 10: Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper into the mix and continue whisking. 

Step 11: Add the corn starch and water into a small bowl and stir until the corn starch is dissolved. This is called the slurry.   

Step 12: Add the slurry into the saucepan and stir until the gravy thickens. 

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Step 13: Put the baked potato strips onto a plate, and add the cheese curds. I had to opt for mozzarella balls (bocconcini) instead of the traditional Canadian cheese curds because it’s really tough to get those in Singapore. I got mine at Little Farms in Valley Point. 

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Step 14: Pour the hot gravy on the dish and serve.

 


Ta-da! Your very own homemade poutine is ready to be served. Seeing the end product was absolutely satisfying for me because I loved every aspect of the dish. The way the warm, dark, ambrosial gravy trickled down the fries and chunks of cheese whetted my appetite as soon as I poured the gravy over this delightful meal. 

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I especially liked how the heat of the gravy melted the cheese, making it look appetising and stringy. The fries were cooked to a crisp golden-brown and I was glad I decided to cook them without peeling the potato skins. 

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As a cheese lover, I reckon that cheese pairs well with anything. The gravy bore a strong resemblance to that of IKEA meatballs, and it went extremely well with the crispy, well-seasoned fries. 

I strongly recommend everyone to try this recipe out, if you’re looking to spice up your cooking at home by whipping up something different during this #StayHome period. Do take note that you should consume the poutine immediately, or at least within an hour or the dish will turn soggy. 

Give this recipe a shot and do let us know how you did. Happy cooking!

Expected Damage: S$10 per portion 

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