Poutine
Québec’s gift: double-fried fries, squeaky cheese curds, and hot gravy that softens but never melts them. Eat immediately or not at all.
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 40 min
- total
- 1 h
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Poutine is a precision instrument disguised as drunk food. The fries must be double-fried to survive gravy, the gravy must be hot enough to warm the curds but not melt them, and the curds must squeak, which only fresh, room-temperature curds do.
The squeak is the quality certificate. Refrigerated curds lose it; fresh ones against your teeth sound like tiny sneakers on a gym floor, and that is the dish working.
Poutine is one of the world's classic dishes from 67 countries.
method
Rinse the cut fries until the water runs clear and dry them completely.
First fry at 130°C (265°F) for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and pale. Drain.
Make the gravy: cook the butter and flour to a light brown roux, whisk in both stocks gradually, add the Worcestershire and pepper, and simmer 10 minutes until it coats a spoon. Keep hot.
Second fry at 190°C (375°F) until deep golden. Salt lightly.
Build fast: fries in warm bowls, curds scattered through (not just on top), hot gravy over everything.
Serve immediately. Poutine has a three-minute window and respects no one.
chef's tips
- Curds at room temperature, never fridge-cold; the gravy’s job is softening them, not reviving them.
- No curds in your country: torn chunks of the freshest mozzarella you can find, blotted dry, is the accepted exile’s version.
- The half-and-half stock gravy is the classic balance: beef depth, chicken lightness.