How to Make French-Canadian Poutine

We must thank the French-Canadians for this transcendently delicious marriage of crunchy, melty and slurpy. No one would deny the individual goodness of French fries, cheese curds, and gravy, but when combined, they leave us asking ourselves, “Is this still food, or is it pure joy?” Poutine is not good for you, we admit. But it may be the best thing you’ve ever tasted. Read on to learn more.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Frozen French fries
• Fresh cheese curds
• Brown gravy mix

1. Prepare. Preheat oven or deep fryer according to directions on frozen French fries package. If you prefer to make your own fries from scratch, by all means. Poutine is certainly worthy of such an effort.

2. Bake or fry French fries. Depending on your chosen method, bake or deep fry the French fries according to the package directions.

3. Meanwhile, prepare gravy. Follow the package directions to prepare the brown gravy, allowing it time to thicken.

4. Add cheese curds. Once your fries are done (but still warm) place them in bowls or on plates (or in one big bowl), and sprinkle over fresh cheese curds. If you can find them (yes, I’m talking to you, Wisconsin), fresh cheese curds are the best for this recipe because they will soften without melting completely.

5. Add gravy. Pour hot gravy over the curds and fries. This will keep the fries warm and soften the curds in an ever-so delicious way.

Tips & Warnings

• Use curds liberally. I know, it’s indulgent; but that’s the point!
• Fresh cheese curds are usually not refrigerated and squeak when you bite into them. But don't worry, refrigerated curds will work too.
• You may need to psychologically prepare yourself for your experience of Poutine. While it is rather unforgiving to the waistline, Poutine is one of those foods that are worth it! Think of all the sub-par unhealthy foods we eat and see how Poutine shines in comparison.